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Description: The Audi Encounter Technology Magazine, published in January 2015, focuses on the topics of the brand’s new design language, the future of sustainable mobility and the upcoming new models of Audi.

Encounter online –
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Editorial
At Audi, we live by the principle of “Vorsprung durch
Technik”. We work on this every single day, with our entire expertise,
experience and passion for technology.
The more complex our operational environment be­
comes; the more demands it places on our innovative skills. Over
the years to come, therefore, we are making targeted investments
in technical development. First and foremost, we are generating
creative freedom for our engineers, to enable them to concentrate
on innovative technologies, premium products and services for the
automotive future.
We are updating our design language, strengthening
our innovative leadership – in classic and alternative drives, in light­
ing technology, in driver assistance, connectivity and piloted driv­
ing. This is how we create the decisive difference that sets Audi apart.
In this issue of Encounter magazine, we present to you
the entire bandwidth of our current development work. Read, for
instance, about the Audi prologue concept study, our elegant yet
sporty coupe design that provides a taste of models to come.

We dedicate a sizable chapter to the CO₂-neutral mobil­
ity of the future. There is also a long-term perspective presented
by the Audi A7 Sportback h-tron quattro, our latest fuel cell concept. The future of drive technologies lies in their diversity – and in
the effective combination of performance, sporting character and
efficiency. The Audi RS 5 TDI concept provides compelling proof of
the ability of the classic combustion engine to take on the future,
with a fuel-efficient diesel engine powering a high-performance
model for the first time.
Equally powerful and efficient are our systems for piloted driving. We want to be the first to enter series production
with this technology and we have already achieved a world record
on this particular path. We sent the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept technology showcase around the Hockenheimring with enormous precision and without a driver – at up to 240 km/h.
And we will be driving into 2015 at an even greater
speed. With “Vorsprung durch Technik” and consistent customer
orientation, we are launching a model offensive that will expand
the Audi product lineup to 60 models and variants by the end of the
decade. This magazine conveys an impression of the sheer dynamism of this program.
Yours,

The more complex our operational environment becomes; the more
demands it places on our innovative skills. Over the years to come,
therefore, we are making targeted investments in technical development.
First and foremost, we are generating creative freedom for our
engineers, to enable them to concentrate on innovative technologies,
premium products and services for the automotive future.

Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Hackenberg
Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG
Technical Development

1.1
g is the maximum lateral acceleration of the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept on its lap
of the Hockenheimring. It proves what potential the technology holds.
→ Page 74

Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept
Driving alone on the race track: Audi has taught piloted driving
how to be sporty – and shows what it is capable of.

0.2
millimeters are the radii on the edges of the Leica T camera body.
They convey a feeling of exceptional precision.
→ Page 114

Audi Product Design
Audi designers realize their high standards of innovation and
perfection not only in the cars with the four rings.
Together with cooperation partners like Leica Camera, they create
outstanding products from completely different worlds.

MINDSET
It was the courage to innovate that put
Audi at the top. The company wants
to expand its lead with a constant stream of
new ideas and with a clear approach.
——
Gentlemen,
start your engines!
Workshop discussion:
Audi's driveline strategy
16

14

dark rider
The design of the Audi prologue show car
points the way forward

family of the year
The new Audi TT and its possible
future derivatives

26

52

Mr. RUsh
Daniel Brühl drives the
new Audi TTS Roadster through Berlin

Auto City
The winner of the Audi Urban Future
Award is announced

42

54

Encounter Technology

15

Encounter Technology

Gentlemen,
start your

The current solution – the stator of the
powerful electric motor to be
used in the next Audi e-tron model.

Text
Johannes Köbler

Photos
Ulrike Myrzik

engines!
TDI, TFSI and g-tron – Audi has a broad base when it comes to the
drive technologies of the future. Board Member for Technical
Development Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg and his team explain the strategy.

17

Encounter Technology

How great is the range on the R8 e-tron,
the all-electric sports car?
Dr. Hackenberg, 2020 will see the introduction in
the EU of the fleet emissions limit of 95 grams
CO₂ per kilometer. What driveline measures does
Audi intend to use in order to achieve this?
Dr. Hackenberg: We’re pushing forward with development in three areas. The first of them is the further
optimization of conventional drives, i.e. gasoline and
diesel engines, the transmission and the rest of the
driveline. In all engines, we are concentrating on the
further development of the combustion process, forced
induction and injection technologies and thermal management as well as friction reduction. In transmissions,
we’re working hard on measures to improve efficiency,
by which I mean on-demand lubrication or new lowfriction oils.
The second area is the development of our model lineup. This is where we see great potential for our TDI
engines in the USA – our clean diesel offensive is bearing substantial fruit. In China, too, we are already introducing the first clean diesel models and watching
developments there very closely. We also expect a great
deal from g-tron technology, the most sustainable type
of gas drive.
The third area is surely electrification?
Dr. Hackenberg: Yes, and this is very important indeed.
Even by 2020, it will contribute around 30 percent to
fuel savings. We will realize electrification across the
breadth of our product portfolio, from so-called mild
hybrid systems all the way to purely battery-electric
drives. The bottom line is that the drive contributes two
thirds of the CO₂ savings. The rest is on the vehicle side,
where we will reduce aerodynamic drag even further.
You are pursuing two avenues in electrification –
with electric-only drives and with plug-in
hybrids. Which route promises the most success
in the long term?
Dr. Hackenberg: The plug-in hybrid, i.e. PHEV technology, is the main contender as things currently stand,
because it combines the benefits and also the complexity of the internal combustion engine and electric drive.
It enables zero-local-emissions driving, while solving
the range problem at the same time.
How much range does a fully electric car need
in order to be accepted by customers?
Photo top – experts among themselves with the R 18 e-tron
quattro sports prototype in the foreground.
Photo bottom – cutaway detail of the current 3.0 TDI.

Dr. Knirsch: Customers today are used to being able to
drive around 500 kilometers on one tank. They apply
the same expectations to a battery-electric vehicle – a
BEV. The further development of battery technology
will be a decisive factor in achieving this objective. Once
the issue of recharging has also been addressed – through
a sufficient charging infrastructure and inductive charging, which we’re working on – we can very quickly reach
the turning point at which customer behavior changes
and electromobility takes off. When that will happen,
however, nobody can predict right now.

Enzinger: We are making really big development steps
with the R8 e-tron 2.0 compared with the last version.
The range was previously 215 kilometers in the NEDC,
and now we are talking about considerably more than
double that distance. This is thanks to the optimization
of drive and drag, but first and foremost the new battery technology.
And what does that look like?
Kötz: The package – the geometry, the cooling, the
weight and the chassis integration – is practically the
same. But we have switched to a further developed
technology for the cells that is specifically adapted for
BEV applications. It can therefore be used just as well
in the automotive sector as in consumer devices, where
it’s already well established. Power is slightly lower in
the new generation of cells, but the energy is considerably greater. Because of the size of our battery, the
slightly lower power is not a problem, while the added
energy brings the longer range.
Are consumer cells the standard for the future?
Hudi: Right now, the module of round cells delivers
around 360 watt hours of energy per liter of volume,
which is already very attractive. But development is
progressing quickly with prismatic cells and so-called
pouch cells. Within the foreseeable future, automotive
cells will achieve a far higher volumetric energy density
than round cells due to their module-based packaging
benefits.

CO₂ reduction remains an obligation
we are very happy to fulfill. But our
free program is to inspire customers
with our new technologies, emotion
and driving fun. That’s the Audi way –
in which we want to become even
stronger.
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg
Audi Board Member for Technical Development

STRATEGY

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, 64, came to Audi in 1985.
From 1998 until 2002 and from 2007 until 2013 he
worked for Volkswagen, most recently as Board Member
for Technical Development. In 2013 he returned to
Ingolstadt in the same function. Prof. Dr. Hackenberg
is also res­ponsible for guiding cross-brand development
for the Volkswagen Group.

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Encounter Technology

E-DRIVE
With the R8 e-tron, we have more
than doubled the range compared with
the last version. We have developed
all the drive components and switched
the battery to a new cell technology.
Markus Enzinger
Head of Development Drive Electrification

Markus Enzinger, 47, came to Audi in 1994 as an
engine designer. He has been in charge of developing drive
electrification since 2012.

Kötz: We are experiencing rapid development. In the
PHEV segment, energy densities have grown by 30
percent in the last four years, while costs have fallen
significantly. PHEVs also demand the most from the
battery, because they call for long range as well as high
performance.

We demonstrated with the RS 5 TDI
technology showcase the kind of potential
offered by the electric turbocharger in
combination with the TDI engine. But this
technology would also make sense with
gasoline engines.

Does Audi build the batteries for the
R8 e-tron itself?
Hudi: Yes, at our High-Voltage Battery Technical Center
next to the factory. It’s a perfect example of in-house
production that helps us to understand and penetrate
the process chain from start to finish. Using the expertise we are building up here, we’ll be able to achieve
optimum solutions with parts we subsequently outsource.

Dr. Stefan Knirsch
Head of Development Complete Engines

DRIVE

And what is the situation as far as series
production is concerned?
Hudi: We have produced all the batteries for the R8
e-tron in our project house. When it comes to larger
volumes for future models, we will take the decision
when the time comes. I should add that we opened a
new project house just a few weeks ago, which is dealing exclusively with BEV technology. All the departments and disciplines from Technical Development and
the rest of the company are working close together here
in one location.
What other advances are there with the
R8 e-tron 2.0?
Enzinger: We have developed all the drive components
– the power electronics, the transmission and, of course,
the two high-performance electric motors. We have
now reached a very high level in terms of power density
and efficiency.

Dr. Stefan Knirsch, 48, joined Audi's engine design department
in 1990. Following positions with Porsche AG and KSPG AG,
he took over his role at Audi as Head of Development Complete
Engines in May 2013.

After the R8 e-tron, what will be Audi’s second
all-electric car?
Dr. Knirsch: We can envisage putting a long-distance
BEV on the road in the 2017/2018 timeframe. It will
be a model with its own highly distinctive architecture
and an amazing drive that fits perfectly with the Audi
character.
At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Audi presented the
h-tron show car – an A7 Sportback with fuel
cell drive. What is the series-production potential
of this technology?
Kutschera: It’s very interesting, because it in no way
restricts the customer in terms of its range and the time
taken to fill the tank. As a premium manufacturer, we
feel it is our technological obligation to push forward
Audi-typical interpretations of such innovations – although there is still no hydrogen infrastructure.
We are developing the fuel cell to the point that we can
put it into production when the customer wants it. For
us, the h-tron is not only a customer-friendly zero-emissions vehicle for long distances, i.e. a fulfillment of CO₂
requirements; its performance data well in excess of its
competitors means it’s far more a determined step toward sporty emotionality, making it a perfect fit for our
brand identity.

20

Encounter Technology

What is the roadmap for the plug-in
hybrid models?
Dr. Hackenberg: It began this year with the launch of
the A3 Sportback e-tron. The Q7 e-tron will follow in
2015, after which we will bring a rapid succession of
further plug-in hybrid models to market – one per year.
They are based on the MLB evo, the second-generation
Modular Longitudinal Platform, although their drives
will differ considerably. The MLB evo is well prepared
for the new technologies. We can basically envisage all
interpretations of an electrified vehicle – from the electric motor integrated into the drivetrain to concepts
that put the motors at the front and rear axles. This kind
of thing would be particular interesting in the performance sector.
Is an Audi R8 with hybrid drive
also conceivable?
Dr. Knirsch: This is something we certainly can envisage, because it’s here in particular that the two worlds
combine very well with one another. The interaction of
an electric motor – which delivers high torque at low
revs and can provide added boost under high load – with
the great emotion of an internal combustion engine
could be a decidedly appealing combination.

21

Encounter Technology

How closely do you work together with them?
Baretzky: The interaction is so fruitful that it is the envy
of our competitors. We want to learn as much as possible about forthcoming challenges in series production
in order to drive forward the motorsport regulations
appropriately. Back in 2011, we were already talking to
the organizers in Le Mans about the efficiency regulations that subsequently came into force in 2014. It
gives all the teams a great deal of freedom – and I think
we’ve used that very well. We reduced fuel consumption by around 22 percent compared with the previous
year and won the race once again.

High power and forceful torque – Hudi, Dr. Hackenberg
and Dr. Knirsch (from left) at the model
of the transmission-integrated electric motor.

Enzinger: Electrification doesn’t mean that we are restricting ourselves to BEVs or PHEVs. We are developing
a broad technology platform that covers all variants
from mild hybrids based on 12 and 48 volts, through to
high-performance electrification concepts.

Ricky Hudi, 46, came from BMW to Audi in 1997, where
he established Advance Development Electrics/Electronics.
He subsequently held positions in Series Development,
Infotainment and Production. Hudi took over management
of Development Electrics/Electronics in 2009.

We produce the batteries for the
R8 e-tron ourselves in our
High-Voltage Battery Technical
Center. It’s a perfect example
of in-house production that helps
us to understand and penetrate
the process chain from start to finish.
Ricky Hudi
Head of Development Electric/Electronics

HIGH-VOLTAGE
SYSTEMS

Hudi: The 48-volt partial network is a highly significant
technology. The step from 12 to 48 volts is overdue. It’s
the only way we will be able to realize the new, dynamic
high-performance consumers such as the electric turbo­
charger.
Dr. Knirsch: Or the integrated starter/generator that
we’ll shortly be putting into production. We are achieving recuperation powers of more than 10 kW with it
– which will bring considerably greater benefits in reallife customer use than in the NEDC. We’re also raising
comfort with the partial 48-volt network, as our customers barely notice that the engine is switching on and
off, enabling them to coast with the engine turned off.
And we also have the option of introducing the electrically assisted turbocharger, as Ricky Hudi just said.
When will it enter series production?
Dr. Knirsch: I assume that the next five years will see a
succession of production models with this new technology. We demonstrated with the RS 5 TDI technology
showcase the kind of potential offered by the electric
turbocharger in combination with the TDI engine. It
would also make sense with gasoline engines, particularly those with high specific output.
Audi celebrated a major triumph at the 24 Hours
of Le Mans with hybrid technology. How can motor­
sport help series development?
Baretzky: At Audi Sport, we have learned a great deal
over the last couple of years about the way the two
drives work together. Their management helps us not
only to reduce consumption considerably, but also
to improve longitudinal and transverse dynamics –
although the regulations unfortunately set very tight
limitations. In principle, though, what proves itself at
Le Mans is also good for our customers. In many cases,
we are able to open doors within the company for our
series-production colleagues.

22

Encounter Technology

What important ideas from race engine
development have so far flowed into series
production?
Baretzky: A perfect example is surely TFSI, the gasoline
engine with forced induction and direct injection. We
used it for the first time at Le Mans in 2001 and three
years later it went into series production. We’re providing important impetus for the TDI engines, too, such as
steel pistons. In combination with the new cylinder
architecture, they permit us to use incredibly high ignition pressures, which lead to extreme efficiency – and
all of that in a lightweight aluminum engine. Our maximum injection pressures are above 2,800 bar.
Kutschera: In series TDI engines, we are currently
achieving 2,000 bar. The models with 2,500 bar will
enter series production next year and we are looking at
3,000 bar for 2020. The higher the injection pressure
the more precise the mixture formation.
Baretzky: I would also like to mention that, years ago,
our external common-rail system partner was of the
opinion that the issue of injection pressure ended at
2,000 bar. We applied a lot of persistence to break
through this barrier, becoming a development driver in
the process.
Hudi: When it comes to engine management, the discussion always surrounds the processors. In production, we’re benefiting significantly from our Progressive
Semi-Conductor Program, by cultivating strategic partnerships with the world’s most important semi-conductor manufacturers. We are in direct discussions with
them and not just with the system suppliers. The PSCP
is a major contributor to being able to recognize innovative solutions at an early stage.
Another important field of technology in
combustion engines is forced induction. What do
you have up your sleeves there?
Kutschera: We’re very interested in new, lighter materials, especially on the turbine side. They further improve transient behavior, allowing high dynamics and
more precise adaptation of the operating points in dynamic cycles. They’re indispensible for the forthcoming
emissions legislation. And the electric turbocharger
presents a whole new approach to charging technology.

Jens Kötz, 45, has been Head of Networking
and Energy Systems at Audi since 2009.

23

Encounter Technology

Potent energy storage – the battery of the
Audi R8 e-tron 2.0 fills the center tunnel and the area
in front of the rear axle.

We are experiencing rapid development.
The energy density of PHEV batteries
has grown by 30 percent in recent years,
while costs have fallen.
Jens Kötz
Head of Networking and Energy Systems at Audi

BATTERY
SYSTEMS

MOTORSPORT
In principle, a technology that proves
itself at Le Mans is also good for
Audi customers. In many cases, we are
able to open doors within the
company for our series-production
colleagues.
Ulrich Baretzky
Head of Audi Sport Engine Development

Ulrich Baretzky, 60, came to Audi from BMW in 1986 and has
been heading up the development of racing engines since
1994. Since 2013, he has also been on the supervisory board
of MAN Diesel & Turbo.

This concept is the benchmark and unparalleled in
terms of the driving experience, emotionality and
sporting character. This is where Audi shows once again
what Vorsprung durch Technik means and how it can be
experienced.
Over the next few years, where will Audi
engines be in terms of consumption, power
and torque?
Dr. Knirsch: We will be able to reduce the fuel consumption of our engines by roughly another 15 percent
by 2020. The next few years will bring a specific output
of 100 kW per liter for our TDI engines. When it comes
to torque, we are already at around the 250 Nm per liter
mark, and we will be able to improve on this, too. We
showed what can be achieved with the TFSI with the TT
quattro sport concept – 155 kW of power per liter and
a maximum torque of 450 Nm from a displacement of
two liters.
What is the role played here by the
five-cylinder engine, the 2.5 TFSI from the
compact RS models?
Dr. Hackenberg: It’s an engine with all the attributes
you need to trigger goose bumps. The turbocharged
five-cylinder is a highly emotional piece of Audi heritage
and we will continue its success story. The A3 clubsport
quattro concept that we presented this year at Wörther­
see is an impressive display of its potential.
Speaking of legends: If you were to present
a new version of the Audi Ur quattro,
what drive concept would it have to have?

The road to efficiency and performance –
Dr. Hackenberg, how would you sum up the
Audi driveline strategy?

Dr. Knirsch: One that carried forward the emotionality
and superiority of the original drive. Our modular engine
programs have a lot to offer – prepare for a surprise!

Dr. Hackenberg: For me, the issue is to resolve former
contradictions. Refined power, sporty performance and
low consumption do not stand in opposition at Audi.
This is also evident from our highly efficient ultra models – a lineup that we will continue to expand rapidly.
CO₂ reduction remains an obligation we are very happy
to fulfill. But at the same time, our target – our free
pro­gram, you might say – is to inspire customers with
our new technologies, deliver them emotion and driving
fun. That’s the Audi way – one in which we are already
very strong and want to become even better.

Dr. Knirsch: The predictive efficiency assistant that
we’ll soon be putting into series production can select
the optimum operating point for the drive with the aid
of extremely precise navigation data and other para­
meters. For instance, if it is obvious that the current
incline is followed by a decline, you can empty the battery of a mild hybrid in order to use up the energy – it
can then be regenerated immediately afterward to fully
recharge the battery. In real-life customer usage, the
predictive efficiency assistant delivers CO₂ savings of up
to ten percent, and even more in some cases.
What advances is Audi planning in
power transmission?
Dr. Knirsch: We’ve pulled out all the stops with the new
seven-speed S tronic, the DL 382, including a quasi dry
sump concept with electric oil pumps and plate separation of the clutches. We’ve achieved targeted reductions in friction losses and achieved a whole new level
of efficiency. We intend to continue on this path. In the
quattro drive, too, we want to use intelligent systems
to reduce friction even further.

Encounter Technology

What transmissions will Audi use in future?
Dr. Knirsch: We are continuing to develop the converter
automatic for use in the big models. It’s still unsurpassed in terms of comfort. Nevertheless, the S tronic
has now reached an almost comparable level and, when
it comes to performance and efficiency, remains unbeat­
able. The competition between the different concepts
serves as motivation for both sides, as well as our suppliers of converter automatics.

How can new driver assistance systems
contribute to efficiency?

24

Great potential in performance and efficiency –
Dr. Hackenberg, Dr. Knirsch and Immanuel Kutschera
(from left) at the cutaway model of the 3.0 TDI.

Immanuel Kutschera, 60, worked as an engine
development engineer for Daimler until 1997. At Audi,
he manages advance development of the large TDI
engines and fuel cell vehicles.

We will be able to achieve a specific
output of more than 100 kW per
liter for the TDI. When it comes to
torque, we are already at around
the 250 Nm per liter mark and aiming
for 300 Nm.
Immanuel Kutschera
Advance Development V Diesel Engines/Fuel Cells

An on-site meeting in a studio in
Ingolstadt. The light flows over
a big, elegant coupe. Three men and one woman are
assessing the car in all its details – chief designer Marc
Lichte and some of his top people. Lichte’s long-time
colleague Andreas Mindt is responsible for exterior design, Ulrich Beierlein manages interior architecture and
Simona Falcinella is responsible for Color & Trim.
Marc Lichte switched from Volkswagen to
Audi in early February 2014 and, since then, has been
working with his team to develop a comprehensive
new design strategy. Presented as a “signature car”, the
Audi prologue is the show car for the Los Angeles Auto
Show and conveys Lichte’s grand plan: “I want to give
the Audi brand a face that expresses its strengths
more clearly – the progressiveness, the quality, the
sporting character.”
If you want to open up new perspective, you
have to break through old boundaries. Marc Lichte (45)
is a free thinker, overflowing with energy and a sense of
purpose; his infectious optimism fills others with enormous enthusiasm. The design chief kneels down in
front of the show car and immediately starts explaining
it: “We have made the Singleframe grille far shallower
and wider. It sits lower in the front of the car, with the
inner tips of the headlamps sweeping over its corners.
This gives the front end an extreme sense of width and
sporting character.”
The Audi prologue show car is a revolutionary with a great deal of style. Its look is not loud, but
decisive. It points to the future, without devaluing the
past. And it is immediately recognizable as an Audi,
even from a long distance – with its athletic build, taut,
muscular surfaces and sharply defined edges.

Text
Johannes Köbler
Photos
Heinrich Hülser
Manfred Jarisch

Power from the
center –
the wheels
of the Audi prologue are
accentuated to
the same
degree – classic
quattro.

“Every single line leads somewhere,” says
Lichte. “Audi design is always logical. The blades beneath the air intakes, for instance, continue through
into the sills. The line runs round the entire car. The
same goes for the spoiler edges.” In the Singleframe,
the horizontal fins have a perforated structure – “a classic lightweight design element like the one previously
used in the Auto Union race cars,” explains Lichte. “And
the headlamps present the next-generation Matrix
laser technology. Design and technology always go
hand-in-hand, with enormous attention to detail.”
Andreas Mindt takes it from here. “In Audi
design, there are elements with iconic status that we
don’t touch,” explains the Head of Exterior Design.
“Those are the Singleframe, the flowing roof arc with
the window graphic and, of course, quattro. In the Audi
prologue, we have accentuated the front and the rear
wheels to exactly the same degree. That’s quattro for
us – power from the center. We make the panel volumes
visually smaller with the wide, flat surfaces around the
wheel arches.”
”The shoulder line,” Mindt continues, “runs
high above the wheels and forms powerful, curved
edges. These are evocative of the blisters on the Ur
quattro – however, we haven’t added these as afterthoughts, but integrated them harmoniously into the
design. The front muscle pulls the hood into the body,
making it look even longer.” Running above the door
is a third, lower line. This pulls the visual center of gravity down­ward, giving the car an even sportier look.
Andreas Mindt: “We have given the bodyshell a waistline and pulled it in tight at the rear – for a sensual and
enticing feel.”
The 5.10-meter Audi prologue expresses
the refinement of sporty driving and the beauty of
technology in every single detail. The paintwork in
diva grey crystal effect gives the exterior skin a warm,
silky shimmer. An aluminum frame encases the side
windows, while the low roof arch flows into a broad
trim piece. On the right flank of the show car, this area
houses the electrically operated tank flap. In the trim
along the base of the windows are illuminated touch
sensors; electric motors push the doors open by a few
centimeters.
The rear end of the Audi prologue is slanted
forward, as on a yacht – giving the large coupe forward
impetus, even at a standstill. Andreas Mindt explains
the finer details of the design. “The concave curve of
the rear windshield is, typical for a large coupe, fixed in
place, but its cut still provides a relatively large load
opening. The rear light clusters are made from 3D
glass, which gives a sculptural effect. The tail light
forms a band binding the two units together – a visual
carried over from the Ur quattro. The shape of the exhaust outlets corresponds with that of the lights. They
are integrated into the height-adjustable diffuser,
which demonstrates our expertise in aerodynamics.”

The interior perfectly reflects the character
of the large Gran Turismo, as Ulrich Beierlein, Head of
Interior Architecture shows at the mock-up: “The interior is generously proportioned like a lounge. All the
lines flow in one simple, calm sweep. The wrap-around
stretches like a horizon around the front and rear seats.
The slender look of the dashboard stands for Audi lightweight design. And the center-tunnel console seems to
float, as do the front seats.”
From the moment they climb in, the fourseat coupe receives its passengers with courteous
refinement. Intelligent software known as “Butler”
identifies them via their smartphones and adjusts the
seats and air conditioning to their preferred settings.
“Butler” also makes recommendations for music and
route planning to suit the preferences of the user.
The dashboard is also presented as a new
union of technology and design architecture. Its continuous front consists of three flat touch displays. Two
of them are reserved for the driver. With the third, a
widescreen display, the passenger can configure infotainment and navigation files and send them to the
driver with a swipe gesture. “Communication has a
strong tradition at Audi,” says Beierlein with a wink.
“Christian Geistdörfer was Walter Röhrl’s tour guide in
the World Rally Championship. Everything here uses
touch technology – customers want to find in their cars
what they already know from their smartphones.”
The center-tunnel console houses another,
super-slim display made from organic LEDs (OLED).
When the car starts, it lifts up at an ergonomically
perfect angle. Also fully digital is the Audi virtual cockpit future, where three mirrors generate fascinating
3D images of astonishing depth. “The operating and
display concept in our show car,” says Beierlein, “is more
than a new piece of technology; it is a true work of
engineering art.”

Progressive and
sensual –
the Audi pro­
logue is a
new expression
of the brand’s
character.

The interior of the Audi prologue creates an
experiential environment for the senses, with all details
documenting the sure hand of the designers and the
uncompromising quality standards of the brand. A perforated fairing covers the air-vent strip. If the air conditioning is turned up, it retracts downward. LED light
guides trace the smoothly flowing interior lines. The
aluminum element that forms the steering wheel
spokes harmonizes with the trim pieces on the driver
display and the door pulls. All the aluminum parts have
matte surfaces with polished edges – resulting a wonderful interaction of textures. The stitching on the seat
center panels echoes the fins in the Single­frame grille.
All colors and materials in the show car
underscore the impression of breadth, calm and composure. Simona Falcinella, Head of Color & Trim, explains
the concept behind it: “We use cool and warm tones – in
some areas, the light is reflected, in others absorbed.”
The new velvety leather, Passion, that covers the seat
surfaces, and the nubuck leather on the seat backs, are
both light in color. The wrap-around and the dashboard
set accents in contrasting shades of brown and grey.
The trim inlays also feature fascinating contrasts – the aluminum strips are paired with elements
in silver gray elm. Its open-pored veneer is cut extremely
finely, enabling it to follow the interior’s flowing lines.
“We placed a great deal of emphasis on authenticity in
the material selection for the Audi prologue,” explains
Simona Falcinella. “For us, luxury is something natural.”
As the meeting ends, chief designer Marc
Lichte sums up, “The Audi prologue brings the phenomenal skill of our engineers to life, on the exterior and in
the interior. Our design is derived from the brand values. And if we continue to filter this essence, Audi will
be even stronger than it is today.”

Herr Lichte, you have been at Audi for a few months
now. What do you think of it so far?

Lichte: This is a dream come true for me. I almost went
to Audi in 1996 after completing my design studies in
Pforzheim, but then I opted for Volkswagen. Now I get
to give the brand a new face. It’s the best and most
exciting job I can imagine.

What do you think is the status of Audi design
at the moment?
Lichte: The last ten years were a phase of sustained
brand definition. The Singleframe gave our cars a distinctive face, as our main competitors have had for a
long time. For me, Audi is the premier design brand,
mainly because our design is very enduring. It’s based
on the rules of geometry, on Bauhaus; it comes without
embellishment and fancy effects. When you look at the
roadscape, I find it fascinating how long our cars retain
their freshness. It is hi-tech in timeless clothing – that’s
Audi; that’s what sets us apart.
So what do you want to change?
Lichte: There’s still a lot of potential for our cars to express Vorsprung durch Technik. We are reinforcing the
way technology is seen and experienced, both in the
interior and on the exterior – the connectivity, the lightweight design, the aerodynamics and, of course, the
quattro drive. We have it in every model range, from the
S1 to the A8, and we will express it in different ways
through the design.

Will you make the individual model ranges more
distinctive from one another in future?
Lichte: The TT offroad concept study already shows how
we could envisage a Q face in future. But among the
sedans, too, we will vary the specific proportions of the
body structure and the face between sporty and statusoriented. My team and I have developed a whole matrix
of solutions in just a short time. We will introduce the
new design language from top to bottom across the
model range.

How spectacular is acceptable for Audi design?
Lichte: Our brand stands for sustained design development – our cars will not be trendy and they will obviously remain free from decoration. But they will be
progressive and sporty, sensual, desirable and sexy.
Audi design will work all over the world because it’s
so strong.

Lichte: I’m afraid so. When I was a boy, I was influenced
by two people. One of them was my grandpa. He was an
artist – he sculpted, painted, built all sorts of things.
The other was my father. He was a car fan and hobby
race driver and took part in hill climbs and slalom racing
– and I was always allowed to come along. He was also
a sailor, and he has passed this passion on to me, too.
How often do you manage to go sailing?
Lichte: Before I had children, I was actually quite successful. I won the regatta in open sea sailing at the
Kieler Woche three times. Now I spend my vacation
time and lots of weekends with my nine and eleven
year-old daughters on my boat in the Baltic Sea. It’s
where I find my creativity – away from work and immersed in this other world; I switch off and recharge
the batteries. I actually modified the design of the boat
I’m currently sailing.
What else is important in your free time?
Lichte: In winter, I like to go skiing. And then there’s a
band from Iceland called Sigur Rós. The guys sing in
Icelandic and have a very distinctive sound. One of them
plays the electric guitar with a violin bow. I’m obsessed
with this music and listen to it every day – in the car, at
home and often at work, too. I went to all five of their
concerts during their last tour of Germany.

Audi architects –
the Head of
Design in discussion with
Ulrich Beierlein,
the Head
of Interior Architecture.

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Precision
is a matter of
honor –
Lichte and
Andreas Mindt,
Head of
Exterior Design,
beside
the show car.

Marc Lichte is 1.95 meters tall,
he takes big steps and he does
so very quickly. Since he moved from Volkswagen to
Audi in February 2014, the man from Westfalia has
been blowing a breath of fresh air into the brand’s design. Teamwork is incredibly important to Marc Lichte.
During his first days at Ingolstadt, he called his staff
together to discuss their joint approach – what does
Audi stand for? And how do we give the brand values a
new form? Further such discussions have continued on
a regular basis since then. These have brought the more
than 300-strong design team at Ingolstadt even closer
together, despite the fact that, due to the construction
of the new Design Center, they are currently spread over
seven locations.
For March Lichte, team spirit is not a matter
of physical proximity. The chief designer firmly incorporates the Group studios in Munich, Potsdam, Santa
Monica (California) and Beijing into his projects, allowing them to compete with each other and with Ingol­
stadt. “We have people from 30 different countries
on our team,” says Marc Lichte. “Every culture brings
its input and the young designers in particular have
especially exciting ideas. There’s a lot of intense discussion of everything from the tiniest detail to the over­­all picture.”
Marc Lichte faced some very big expectations when he took on this job. Now, ten months later,
his new lines are established in everyone’s minds, three
future production models have already been signed off.
The chief designer enthuses about his working environment, “Everyone here at Audi is passionate about the
brand – from the security man that greets me with a
friendly word in the morning, to the Board of Man­
agement. Everyone wants to achieve something big and
everyone in my team is fully on board. Our vision is becoming more focused with every single day. And I keep
thinking to myself: What a great team!”

It starts with
the idea –
Marc Lichte
loves to
sketch and does
so at every
­opportunity.

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Text
Armin Götz

Photos
David Breun

Mr. Rush
Audi TTS Roadster
Daniel Brühl is also very much in demand in Hollywood – most recently
in his role as Niki Lauda in racing drama Rush. The actor goes for a spin through the
German capital in the new Audi TTS Roadster.
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Hand on the wheel –
Lauda actor Brühl has a penchant
for fast cars like the
228 kW (310 hp) Audi TTS.
Berlin air –
The Audi TTS Roadster’s lightweight
soft-top opens in just
ten seconds. The Roadster goes on
sale in January 2015.

A bit of Spain in Kreuzberg –
Daniel Brühl at the Raval, a tapas bar
that he runs with a friend.

I had my first experience in a Formula 3 car in Barcelona
a long time before we started filming. It was still
miles away from the challenges of Formula 1, but I understand
now why anyone would want to be a racing driver.

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Screen star –
Brühl with the Audi TTS Roadster
in front of the legendary International
cinema on Karl-Marx-Allee.

Daniel Brühl
The son of a Spanish teacher and German
TV director Hanno Brühl was born in Barcelona
June 16, 1978. Besides German and
Spanish, he also speaks fluent English, French and
Catalan. He began doing audio plays and voice
dubbing when he was a child and came
to attention in 1994 with the TV movie Svens
Geheimnis (Sven’s Secret). Brühl gained
international recognition in 2003 with the leading
role in Goodbye Lenin!, for which he received
a number of awards. In 2008, he played German
sharp shooter Fredrick Zoller in Quentin
Tarantino’s Oscar-nominated Inglourious
Basterds. He was nominated for a 2014 Golden
Globe Award for his role as Niki Lauda
in Rush.

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310 hp and no roof –
In the new Audi TTS Roadster, every journey is the destination,
in Berlin or anywhere else in the world.

View from above –
the new Audi TTS Roadster, 4.19 meters
long, has a compact and highly
focused stance – a true sports car.
Keeping a close eye on things –
Daniel Brühl is currently shooting the movie
Colonia in Argentina.

Technical Data
Audi TTS Roadster

2.0 TFSI quattro with S tronic

Displacement

1,984 cm³

Power

228 kW (310 hp)

Torque

380 Nm / 1,800 – 5,700 rpm

Vmax

250 km/h*

0 –100 km/h

4.9 s

Consumption

6.9 l /100 km

CO₂ emissions

159 g/km

* electronically limited

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Daniel, you were the German voice
of Lightning McQueen in the animated
movie Cars and slipped into racing gear as Niki Lauda for
Rush. It’s a genre you seem to like. Can we expect to see you
soon in any more fast-paced roles?

Rush was a great experience. The film turned out exactly as I imagined it would. It would be really difficult to top it. But basically, the
whole car topic is always fun. And I’ll surely make more movies with
car chases in them. However, I don’t expect any more racing driver
roles.
Did you do any laps of a race track in a racing car yourself as
part of your preparation for the role?
My film partner Chris Hemsworth (James Hunt) and I trained with
Formula 3 cars. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to drive the
original Formula 1 race cars that we had on set. Only the stunt drivers were allowed to do that. The cars’ owners were really worried –
but more about their cars than about Chris and I (laughs).
Which tracks did you drive on?
I had my first experience in a Formula 3 car in Barcelona a long time
before we started filming. I drove later with Chris in England. My
personal coach was Niki Falkner. His father was a huge Lauda fan
and named one of his sons for him. The training was great fun,
because it’s really nothing like driving regular cars. Nevertheless,
it was still miles away from the challenges of Formula 1. After this
amazing experience, I understand now why anyone would want to
be a racing driver.
You met a couple of times with Niki Lauda. What kind of
relationship did you have with him?
Niki is a great guy, with this special Austrian humor. He said to me
right away: take whatever time you need. We still text each other
regularly. After filming, he asked me if I would like to fly with him
in his private Learjet to the Formula 1 race in Brazil. I didn’t have to
think long about that. I sat next to Niki in the cockpit – it was a great
experience to fly across the Atlantic in such a small plane with the
former Formula 1 champion at the controls.

You have been running the Raval tapas bar in the
Kreuzberg area of Berlin for the last four years. Did you bring
a bit of Barcelona to Berlin with you?
That was exactly why my friend and I wanted to open a bar in Berlin.
We wanted to bring the tapas culture that we have known since we
were children to Berlin and bring Berliners a bit closer to Spain.
There were already a few tapas bars in the capital, but we wanted
to offer the complete bandwidth on our menu.
Where do you find the inspiration for your creations?
We have standard tapas in Raval that are available all year round
and a weekly menu that is always changing. We therefore look
around the Spanish provinces every couple of weeks for new creations.

Audi virtual cockpit –
the fully digital dashboard is standard
equipment in the new Audi TT.
In the TTS Roadster, the central rev counter
is the dominant feature.

Do you also cook yourself?
Rarely – I can make a few things, but because I’m rarely at home,
I seldom have the time to cook for ten people. So we usually meet
in restaurants. But I’ve decided to take up a course with a professional.

You have now also been cast in a role in Captain America 3,
a real US blockbuster that will be filmed in 2015.
Who are you playing?

For more than a year now, you’ve been receiving an increasing
number of offers from Hollywood. Was Rush the turbo
for your career?
You really can’t plan something like that. There have been individual films that have brought me further step-by-step. It was working
with Quentin Tarantino that led to me being cast for Rush. The director of Rush, Ron Howard, saw me in Inglourious Basterds and
invited me to audition for the role as Niki Lauda. Rush then had a
domino effect on my career. And when the opportunities arise, you
have to take them.
You have played quite a wide variety of characters –
race driver, boss of a star-rated restaurant in London and a
journalist in Colonia, a film you’re shooting right now
in Argentina. What do you like most?
I enjoy all sorts of things; it depends on the script and the roles.
There are figures like Niki Lauda, with whom you make a connection, even though you think at first that the character is too far away
from your own. But when you read through a script, it just clicks at
some point and you suddenly know that you can play the role. I enjoy
jumping between the different genres. Ideally, a nice comedy
comes after a drama, then a science-fiction movie after that. I’ve
never made a sci-fi, but I would totally love to. I’m also really into
certain types of horror movie.
Is there a character that’s right at the top of your wish list?
There are lots of great novel series. I was talking recently to my
friend about the Magellan biography by Stefan Zweig, a story about
the first people to sail around the world. Making a movie about the
challenges on the high seas in the 16th century – why not?

I can’t say anything about that yet, or I’ll be thrown into “Marvel
jail” (laughs). But I’m very happy to be a part of it. It’s another career step and is going to be an absolute mega-spectacular.
You have already filmed a comedy this year.
What’s that about?

You are half German and half Spanish. What are the differences
between the two nationalities?

It’s a comedy with Bradley Cooper directed by John Wells that’s all
about the restaurant scene. I got totally into it from the moment
I first read the script.
That’s probably because you run a restaurant yourself …

I’m half Catalan to be precise. The Catalans are known as the Ger­
mans of Spain, because they’re more similar to them than to their
own countrymen from other provinces. But overall, the Spanish are
a bit more spirited than the Germans. That has something to do
with the weather, but also with the culture. I mostly notice more
light-heartedness and joie de vivre among the Spanish. I’m somewhere between the two. I feel neither particularly German nor particularly Spanish.
You film in a number of different languages – German,
Spanish, English and French. What language do you prefer
when filming?
I’m most at ease in my two native languages of German and Span­
ish. When it comes to improvisation in particular, I’m not as free in
English and French and always happy when I have enough time to
prepare for the dialogue. The good thing is, though, that every language has its own characteristics and nuances and is better for
ex­pressing certain things. It also impacts the way you play it. Span­
ish is an impulsive, faster language, which also leads to different
facial expressions and gestures. In Spanish, we move our hands a
lot when we talk. My friends tell me that it’s funny when I speak
Spanish, because I sound more masculine. The language seems to
change the tone of my voice.

That’s right. I also play a figure similar to Atilano, the manager of
our tapas bar. In the movie, I have inherited the star-rated restaurant from my father, but it’s not going so well. This world of highend chefs fascinated me, because it involves so much pressure and
discipline, but also a whole lot of hard work that, as a guest, you
don’t really appreciate. That’s the great thing about my job, because I mix with all these people from different worlds and learn
a lot while I’m filming. Marcus Wareing, the two-star chef from
London that advised us during filming, invited us to his restaurant.
We were allowed into the kitchen to take a look behind the scenes
and to see how everything runs in the restaurant. It was really interesting. And this cast with Bradley Cooper (Hangover), Uma
Thurman, Oscar-winner Emma Thompson, Sienna Miller and Omar
Sy (The Intouchables) is extremely high-caliber.
You recently received your own star on the Boulevard of Stars
on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.
I was absolutely over the moon about that. I’m in what you might
call the very best company with all the film legends like Marlene
Dietrich, Billy Wilder and Christoph Waltz. It gives me a great feeling every time I drive past.
What do you have planned next?

Did you ever have an alternative to acting as a career?
Not really. During my childhood and youth it was just a hobby,
although one that took up a lot of my time. By the time I was 15 or
16, I definitely knew I wanted to be an actor and started pursuing
it more seriously. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a professional
soccer player just like most other little boys, then, at the age of 13,
I wanted to be a journalist, without actually knowing what that
meant – it was more because I found the word so exciting.

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On Monday, I’m meeting the king of Spain at the embassy in Berlin,
then I’m flying to Buenos Aires for two weeks of shooting on
Colonia and after that it’s back to Stuttgart for Christmas Eve and
then on to Barcelona. I’m going to force one of my friends to roast
a goose for Christmas. I don’t trust myself to do that – it’ll be too
dry.

Text
Armin Götz

TT to the
power of three
2014 is the year of
the Audi TT* – in February,
the third generation
of the sports car
made its debut in coupe
format at the Geneva
Auto Show. The Roadster
followed in the
fall at the Paris Auto
Show. A few weeks
ago, the sports ­
car received the German
Design Award. Its s­ uccess
means that ­further
­derivatives are
conceivable. Audi
­designers have ­already
considered how a
­four-door or an
off-roader might look.

TT for two
The third generation of the compact
sports car is a fascinating fusion of emotional design and dynamic qualities. In­
novative technologies in the drive as well
as the operating and display concept set
the new coupe apart. In recognition of its
outstanding networking and straightforward operation, the Audi TT Coupé was
voted “best networked car” by readers of
auto motor und sport and Chip magazines. The Audi virtual cockpit incorpora­
tes the instrument panel and MMI screen
within one central, digital unit and sets
new benchmarks with dynamic animations and precise graphics.
Lightweight design is one of
Audi’s major areas of expertise. The second-generation Audi TT already used an
Audi Space Frame (ASF) bodyshell made
from aluminum and steel. Audi has systematically developed this material-mix
principle in accordance with the motto,
“The right material in the right place in
the right amounts for optimum function”. Thus, the new TT with 2.0 TFSI engine weighs just 1,230 kilograms (curb
weight), making it 50 kilograms lighter
than its predecessor.

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FAMILY
OF
THE
YEAR
Auto China 2014 – Audi TT offroad concept
The study combines the sporting character
of a coupe with the practicality of
a compact SUV – including e-quattro drive and
wireless charging technology.

Geneva 2014 – Audi TT Coupé
“A TT has to be radical, but still able to offer
practicality and everyday usability.”

TT off the road
The Audi TT offroad concept breaks the
mold – it combines the sporting character of a coupe with the lifestyle and practicality of a compact SUV. The design
lan­guage of the Audi TT was expressed
completely differently by the four-door
presented by Audi at the Beijing Inter­na­
tional Automobile Exhibition. Its plug-in
hybrid drive with two electric motors de­
livers dynamic performance with a sys­
tem output of 300 kW (408 hp) – yet the
show car consumes an average of just
1.9 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.
“The study combines the
sporting genes of the TT with the attributes of a compact Audi SUV. Its plug-in
hybrid drive, with the possibility of inductive charging, marks a major step to­
ward the mobility of the future. We took
the conscious decision to present the
Audi TT offroad concept in China, our second domestic market, because it stands
for the urban mobility of tomorrow – it is
sustainable, dynamic, intelligent and
networked,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hacken­
berg, Audi Board Member for Technical
Development.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi Board Member for Technical Development

TT for four
A fast sports car with four seats and five
doors – Audi earned a great deal of praise
at the Paris Auto Show with the TT Sport­
back concept. The exterior of the show
car references the design language of
the classic TT, developing it to create a
new, elongated sculpture. The sports car
is driven by a high-performance power
unit, the 2.0 TFSI with 294 kW (400 hp).
“In the years following the
first TT, we conceived our elegantly sporty
five-door Audi A5 Sportback and Audi A7
Sportback. In our Audi TT Sportback concept show car, we have combined both
concepts to create a possible new member of the TT family,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich
Hackenberg, Audi Board Member for
Tech­nical Development.

It was thrilling to the very end – who
would win the race for the 2014 Audi
Urban Future Award? The Berlin team with its futuristic “Flyway”
to the planned Urban Tech Republic? The city planners from
Boston with their Mobility Marketplace? The entrants from
Mexico who want to steer their capital city out of endless congestion on the data super highway? Or the South Koreans who
were inspired by Gangnam Style to conceive the car of the future?
The decision was announced on November 10. The
world’s highest-paying prize for innovative mobility solutions
goes to Mexico City. The entrants from what the IBM Commuter
Pain Index calls “the worst commuter city in the world” convinced the international jury with its “operating system for
urban mobility”. At its heart is a data platform with which cities
can control their traffic planning according to their needs, and
drivers can adapt their behavior flexibly in accordance with the
current situation.
Architect and Harvard Professor José Castillo, IT expert Carlos Gershenson and the head of Mexico City’s Innovation
Lab, Gabriella Gomez-Mont, have based their concept on supporting self-help and turning commuters into data donors.
Using crowdsourcing techniques, the team wants to create an
open mobility network involving the city, commerce and citizens. By supplying their anonymized data, commuters form the
basis for well-founded traffic decisions. Companies, city institutions and platforms like Twitter or Foursquare enhance the database. Together, they enable an overall evaluation of the traffic
situation in Mexico City.

4 Never-ending congestion – Mexico City
is still the world’s toughest commuter city.

2

1

Jury honors concrete solution
for urgent problems
“We chose Mexico City because the project is already being implemented and is delivering concrete and, above all, affordable
solutions for the urgent mobility problems in the mega-cities of
emerging economies,” explained jury chairperson, Professor
John Urry, at the awards ceremony in Berlin on November 10.
The group of interdisciplinary experts lead by Urry had evaluated the concepts submitted by the contestants against criteria
like innovative strength, feasibility, sustainability and transferability to other cities. The nine jury members travelled from
China, Germany, Great Britain, Columbia and the USA to attend
the grand awards ceremony in Berlin.

Team Mexico –
An operating system for
the city
Supporting self-help –
the head of Mexico City’s
Innovation Lab, Gabriella GomezMont, architect José Castillo
and IT expert Carlos Gershenson
want to steer the city out of
endless congestion via the data
superhighway.

4

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The first version of the new data platform for Mexico
City has, in fact, been online since September. Commuters can
use a website and an app to donate their own movement data
and share their mobility behavior with other users. This will
gradually lead to the establishment of a valid database for sustainable city and traffic planning. As soon as sufficient real-time
data is available for precise prognosis, people will be able to
adapt their behavior to the forecasts and, thereby, themselves
have an influence on traffic – by leaving later or selecting the
means of transport that will bring them fastest to their destination. Alongside Audi, companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Uber,
Yaxi and HP began promoting participation in the program to
their employees in the first weeks following its launch.
Tearing down the walls between public
and individual transportation
“The mobility of the future is about winning back freedom and
keeping it,” explained Audi CEO Rupert Stadler in his speech delivered at the awards ceremony. In view of traffic congestion and
the shortage of parking spaces in cities, new efficiency formulas
have to be found that enable space, time and resources to be
used as intelligently as possible. Audi is seeking solutions in
which individual transportation makes a positive contribution
to an overall system comprising various forms of mobility. “The
car must once again be seen as a desirable object of progress,”
said Stadler. “That means we have to tear down the walls between public and individual transportation.”
Audi’s “Urban Agenda” –
More Space and Quality of Life in the City
Already today, more than half of the global population lives in
cities. That figure will reach 70 percent by 2050. This is where
around 75 percent of global value creation will occur. “The urban
areas of the world are our growth markets. We will develop pro­
ducts and solutions that make mobility in the cities attractive
again and that raise quality of life,” said Audi CEO Prof. Rupert
Stadler at the 2014 Audi Urban Future Award ceremony in Berlin.
We cannot expect individual transportation in the
cities to diminish – registration figures in the world’s growth
regions are rising incessantly. At the same time, city administrations are attempting to restrict this with bans and major restrictions. These often do not take account of the people themselves,
as those able to afford it are not prepared to do without the
convenience of the car.
Where the car can network with the city, citizens
benefit in terms of space, time and efficiency – that much was
clear in all the entries submitted to the 2014 Audi Urban Future
Award. At the same time, innovative urban technologies such as
piloted parking or driving cannot be planned in isolation from
the urban context, which is why the third Audi Urban Future
Award is now flowing into a new “Urban Agenda”.
At the heart of the “Urban Agenda” are development
partnerships for bringing targeted system solutions to the cities. “We are taking responsibility for the problems caused by the
car in mega-cities and will become actively involved in solving
these problems with our developments. To do this, we need collaboration between communities, project developers and industry,” said Stadler.
The plan is to establish “Urban Future Partnerships”
with cities and communities worldwide. On the basis of concrete
construction and transportation projects, Audi is promoting the
networking of automotive technologies with development partners from cities and the real estate sector. “Our responsibilities
and expectations do not end with the car; they also incorporate
the environment in which it operates. Urban solutions will become a decisive commercial factor. If Vorsprung durch Technik
leads to a better urban experience for our customers, then we
will have achieved our target of sustainable success in every respect,” said Stadler.

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Team Berlin –
Travelling faster through town
without wait times

Team Seoul –
The car as a social device and
experiential machine

From the horizontal to
the vertical –
innovator Paul Friedli,
architect Max Schwitalla and
neuroscientist Arndt
Pechstein want to close the
gaps on the last mile.

Architect Max Schwitalla, innovator Paul Friedli and neuroscientist Arndt
Pechstein are transferring the principles of intelligent elevator systems
into the urban environment. Modern elevators know the destination of
their passengers before the ride commences. For the Berlin team, this also
represents a success model for urban mobility.

As a concrete test project, the team proposes the involvement of the “Urban Tech Republic” on the site of Tegel Airport. At the
center of the concept is the former Siemens elevated rail track. The plan is
for autonomous cars to chauffeur people from the new research center
to the Jungfernheide underground and tram stations. “Our vision is to use
destination control to transform urban mobility into a flexible system
in which all means of transport interconnect seamlessly. Inhabitants are
thus consistently offered the best solution for their individual needs,”
explains team leader Max Schwitalla.

Looking further into the future, the ideas of the Berlin
team manifest themselves as a new kind of vehicle concept. So-called “Fly
Wheels” link together as required to form a longer unit. As a collective,
they use existing underground tunnels and tram ways. For that proverbial
“last mile”, the vehicles decouple and bring their passengers individually to their destination.

The team led by ethnographer Sung Gul Hwang is assigning to the car of
the future the value system of a society that stylizes entertainment as
the highest cultural commodity and communicates primarily digitally. It
balances the wishes and needs of Asian trendsetters with the technical and
entertainment possibilities of self-driving cars. The mobile space can be
transformed selectively into a rolling interface with the city, into a social
device or into a virtual experience machine – thanks to the intelligent
roller-coaster mode, the next traffic jam can become an amusement park.
Together with city planner Taig Youn Cho and product designer Yeongkyu
Yoo, Hwang let himself be inspired by Seoul’s “in” district of Gangnam.

Team leader Hwang: “To reinvent the car of the future, we
have to understand the role it plays in our society, the values and emotions
it conveys and how it communicates with the city and with people.” In
the Korean team’s vision, the car is transformed into an interface with the
city. People see who is behaving in a commendable and environmentally
friendly manner. Drivers are rewarded with prizes, which are displayed
for all to see on the outside of the car. Thus the team from Korea is transforming the car from materialistic status symbol into a social medium
for conveying social values.

5

5 Street life 2030 – the old Siemens elevated track
in Berlin becomes an Urban Flyway.
6 Gangnam Style – Seoul’s most expensive district
is a trendsetter for the rest of Asia.
7 Urban dashboard – new opportunities for cities in
the greater Boston area.

Future Mobility
Where car and city network themselves,
citizens benefit in terms of space, time and
efficiency.

Based on the example of Somerville, a prosperous suburb of Boston, the
entry led by city planner and former deacon of Harvard Philip Parson shows
the importance of innovative technology to the economic development
of cities. Together with Milan mobility expert Federico Parolotto and city
designer Janne Corneil, Parsons has conceived a “multimodal marketplace
for mobility”. Its basis is a highly complex piece of simulation software
that makes it possible to calculate the opportunities presented to cities of
new technologies, thus delivering a transparent basis for investment
decisions.

“We are being faced with major changes in traffic systems
and it is completely open whether or not our cities will benefit from them
or collapse under the weight of possibility,” says Parsons. “Our marketplace for modern mobility solutions proves that new options arise for cities
if city planning not only knows the potential of intelligent mobility, but
is also able to calculate it in black and white.”

7

The Speed Master
Heinz Hollerweger,
the boss of quattro GmbH,
at the Nürburgring
82
The Write Way
The development of the Audi MMI
for the Chinese market
90
Magazine
Technology news from around
the world
98

SKILLS
Audi’s great strengths include the
skills of every single one of
its employees. It lays the foundation for
perfection and innovation.
——
Power to the People
25 years of TDI –
a look back and forward
60
Self Starter
What Rudolf Diesel (might) say
about the TDI
70

With the TDI
from Malmö to
Copenhagen
The TDI engine is one of the most important efficiency technologies in
the automotive world. On a road trip through the various stages of
this success story, we look back on 25 years of development – from the
Audi 100 2.5 TDI, through the A7 Sportback competition* to the
RS 5 TDI concept with e-turbo. It is a route packed with horsepower and
plenty of inspiration for the future.

Times were hectic in
the summer of 1989.­
A revolution was looming in Eastern Europe,
but nobody knew yet what would happen.
Then came the inconceivable – the wall came
down and caravans of two-stroke Trabants
and Wartburgs sputtered their way across
the open border from east to west. From
that point of view, the wind of change that
blew 25 years ago also had a distinctly oily
tinge. Soon, however, these noisy little ano­
ma­lies disappeared across the board into
Nirvana – the western automotive world was
way ahead.
But there was a revolution going
on there, too – with the good old compression-ignition engine. For decades, diesel en­
gines had been popular with thrifty drivers
– in Germany, in France especially and also
in Italy. Admittedly, there wasn’t much fun
involved – that generation of oil burners
was loud and leaden.
But the time was ripe – at Audi in
Neckarsulm, development engineers were
working hard on reinventing the diesel engine. Andreas Fröhlich is one of the few who
has been on the TDI’s journey to success
con­tinuously for 25 years now. “I was new
at Audi, having just started as a student
trainee. And, to be honest, I hadn’t yet
grasped back then what the development

of the TDI would trigger.” As he talks, he
runs his hand along the slender steering
wheel of the Audi 100 2.5 TDI, which he is
driving serenely through the streets of
Malmö in Sweden.
The new technology made its de­
but at the Frankfurt Auto Show the year the
wall came down. While Volkswagen revealed
the Golf GTI G60, BMW an uprated M3,
Mazda the MX-5 and Opel presented the
Lotus Omega, visitors to the Audi stand saw
a new Audi 100 – with a direct-injection,
turbocharged and electronically controlled
five-cylinder diesel engine. 88 kW (120 hp),
265 Nm – compared with its competitors at
the IAA, the power and torque of the new
TDI did not necessarily sound like knives
being sharpened. Its significance, however,
was miles beyond anything else.

The breakthrough of TDI
technology came in 1989 at
the Frankfurt Auto Show
with the Audi 100 (C3) TDI.
Audi engineers were
already working on the
development of the
diesel engine back in
the 70s. But it was
the TDI that brought
sprinting skills and
smooth-running refinement that sparked
the emotions.

Andreas Fröhlich
(right), Head of TDI
Engine Design,
­explains to the editor
the challenges
­involved in developing
the TDI of the future.

This enormous diesel machine was built in the
early 1930s by Burmeister & Wain as an electricity
generator for Copenhagen. The eight-cylinder
two-stroke unit ran for the first time in 1933. With
an output of up to 22,500 hp, the engine – which
is named for Danish academic Hans Christian Ørsted
– still counts as one of the behemoths of mechanical engineering. Twice a month, the fully function­al
giant diesel is started up for visitors. Today, the
DieselHouse is lovingly maintained as a museum by
MAN Diesel & Turbo, which has been part of the
Volkswagen Group since 2011.

The 1989 Audi 100 marked not
only the beginning of the TDI story (which
went on to write history in Le Mans), but
was also a very mature automobile overall.
Even today, the five-cylinder is incredibly
willing in every respect, fires up briskly, responds happily to acceleration requests and
prompt­­ly serves up a respectable level of
refinement. It also has a tiny turning circle
and, of course, the simplicity so much loved
by fans of modern classics.
Our little road trip takes us from
Malmö over the Öresund Bridge to Copen­
hagen in Denmark – to one of the most spec­
­tacular destinations possible for anybody
even remotely interested in engines. We’re
in DieselHouse, a museum south of the famous Tivoli, directly on highway number 2.

The 3.0 V6 TDI is one of the
world’s most efficient
engines. In the 218 hp ultra
variant of the A7 Sportback,
it consumes just 4.7 l/100
km. The 326 hp top TDI
in the A7 competition makes
do with 6.1 l/100 km.

5

5
Even more
powerful – available
since fall 2014,
the A7 Sportback
competition features
an infotainment
system with LTE
connection and new
connect services.

6
64

The building was constructed around an
eight-cylinder, two-stroke, in-line diesel en­
gine. 24.5 meters long, 12.5 meters high,
weighing 1,400 metric tons and generating
22,500 hp at 115 rpm. The emergency
power diesel, which was intended to supply
Copenhagen with electricity in times of difficulty, has long left active service, but is
still fully functional. The monster is awakened using compressed air. The crank gear
slowly starts to move, like the skeleton of a
brontosaurus. It hisses and hammers with
a force that would bring every 80s industrial band to its knees. The pistons, each of
them with a weight of 4.5 metric tons, veritably stamp and force reverence for the
power of engineering creativity into the
consciousness of every visitor.
Compared with this machine,
the TDI in our Audi 100 is a minnow. And
when you speak with Andreas Fröhlich, who
is now in charge of the department that designs Audi’s TDI engines, you gain a sense of
his interest and reverie. But Fröhlich is an
engineer; he lives in tomorrow; in all the
engines still to be developed, engineered.
Which gives rise to the question: Couldn’t
the five-cylinder TDI once again be an option
for the future? You can tell immediately
that the engineers in Neckarsulm don’t find
that idea at all unreasonable. However, they
have their hands full for the moment with
the current program.

Encounter Technology

6
In sporting attire –
the A7 Sportback
competition comes as
standard with the
S line sports package,
which includes a
20-millimeter lower
ride height and 20-inch
wheels.

7
Powerhouse – the maximum torque of
650 Nm generated by
the top V6 diesel is
available between 1,400
and 2,800 rpm.

7
The competition V6 TDI with
326 hp in the new Audi
A7 Sportback even achieves
346 hp for brief periods,
thanks to its boost system.
In 2014, Audi presented the revised A7
Sportback, with a new
design, new infotainment and more powerful and efficient
Euro 6 engines – with
the competition
as the top TDI model.

Audi A7 Sportback 3.0 TDI competition
Type

The very latest, most
powerful production
V6 TDI

Engine

V6, biturbo

Displacement

2,967 cm³

Power

240 kW (326 hp)

Torque

650 Nm

0–100 km/h

5.1 s

Top speed

250 km/h

Increased efficiency, electrification, weight and friction reduction, emissions legislation, CO₂ minimization – the
chal­lenges for engine development are wide
and varied. The fact is that complexity has
now reached an unprecedented level – and
that the reduction in fuel consumption since
2010 of around 32 percent was by far the
easier leg of the journey. Nevertheless, the
engineers are optimistic that another 15
percent is possible by 2020. In combination
with electrification, perhaps even 30 percent, in spite of increasingly demanding ex­
haust aftertreatment.
We leave the DieselHouse and
swap the Audi 100 for the Audi A7 competition. The anniversary model is currently the
“experiential highlight” in the world of the
V6 TDI. With its biturbo engine, it delivers
a whopping 240 kW (326 hp) and up to 650
Nm of torque to the road. Above it is only
the 4.2-liter V8 TDI in the Audi A8. “The V6
is the backbone of the Audi TDI; the V8 is
the absolute pinnacle,” explains Andreas
Fröhlich. “This shows what we mean by right­
sizing. Our models need refined, confident
drives. Too much downsizing and too much
turbocharging can have a negative impact

8

8
First TDI with RS
refine­ments – this
technology showcase is
permitted to call
itself RS because it
achieves sports car performance. The appropriate sound is com­
posed at the touch of
a button directly inside
the exhaust.

Electrification gives the diesel
engine a further boost in
efficiency and performance.
This is why Audi engineers
are working on the series development of the TDI with
electric turbocharging and on
the TDI e-tron.

11
Café racer? – as a
technology showcase,
the RS 5 TDI concept
is allowed to stand
out from the crowd – but
it also has race-track
potential.

10
Multitasking – electric
turbocharging makes
the technology
showcase a top sprinter, while the TDI
genes give it marathon
qualities.

in everyday use on consumption, smooth
running and durability. That’s why the V6
TDI will play a major role for a long time to
come and why we are also continuing to develop the V8 TDI.”
A refined drive – unflustered,
light-footed, comfortable and sporty. These
are all attributes impressively encapsulated
by the A7 competition. The way its neatly en­
closed driveline, purring quietly away under
the hood, is packaged and integrated into
the front of the car is a masterpiece all too
seldom recognized. The voluminous sound
commensurate with its potency is instead
composed in the sport exhaust, making it
clear as it pulls away that the elegantly
dressed gentlemen has another side to him.
The power diesel delivers its 650 Nm of
torque as low down as 1,400 rpm. In combination with the eight-speed automatic,
no performance desires in the space between zero and 250 km/h are left unfulfilled.
This engine is a powerhouse in
the truest sense of the meaning. And does
it stop there? That question is answered by
the Audi RS 5 TDI concept. Here, development engineers wrapped a 3.0 V6 TDI bi­
turbo in the sporty design of the RS 5 Coupé.
But that’s still not enough – the turbo brothers are joined by another little sibling. Elec­
trically driven, it has emancipated itself from

the exhaust flow and spins at up to 72,000
rpm. That means full force from the start,
until the two big fat turbos take over. Be­
cause the new addition delivers the basis,
the two others can now run a little more free­
­ly – adding an extra portion of oomph to the
already catapult-like sprint characteristics.
With 283 kW (385 hp) and 750 Nm, you
could say that this technology showcase is
Tyson’s right arm on wheels. The athlete
takes just 4.0 seconds to go from zero to
100 km/h. Typical RS refinements like sport
suspension and ceramic brakes neatly round
off this high-performance talent. Compared
with the car minus the e-turbo, the RS 5 TDI
concept manages to power two car lengths
ahead in the first three seconds of the sprint
from a standstill.
So the e-turbo is a fine thing.
Then why can’t we find it on any price list?
The answer lies beneath the trunk floor.

67

Encounter Technology

Audi RS 5 TDI concept
Type

Powerful TDI technology
showcase that
points the way forward

Engine
V6, biturbo and
e-charger
Displacement

2,967 cm³

Power

283 kW (385 hp)

Torque

750 Nm

0–100 km/h

ca. 4.0 s

Top speed

>280 km/h

11

To date, Audi has sold around
eight million cars with TDI
engines. Globally, the share of
TDIs is around 40 percent;
in Germany, it is two thirds. TDI
is recording particularly
high growth rates in the USA.

14
Good view – the LED
headlamps are part
of standard equipment
on the A7 competition.

15
Time travel – relative
to displacement,
the power and torque
of TDI engines has
doubled in the last 25
years. Pollutant emissions, on the other
hand, have fallen by 98
percent. And consumption has dropped
by one third since
2000 alone.

Besides the standard 12-volt battery, it is
also home to a 48-volt lithium-ion unit and
a DC/DC transformer. From here, a 48-volt
network leads to the electric supercharger
in the engine bay. To enable it to rev so high
so quickly, it needs up to seven kilowatts of
electricity for a short period of time. The 48volt network is necessary to transmit such
large amounts of energy extremely quickly.
The technology is currently undergoing
final production development and is also an
excellent supply source for energy-intensive assistance and suspension systems.
The V6 TDI enters the next evolutionary step when combined with e-tron
technology. Following the thinking behind
the A3 Sportback e-tron, the focus here,
too, is on achieving an electric range of 50
kilometers. With the TDI e-tron, this is augmented by the superior diesel range, guaranteeing the customer unrestricted mobility. With a system output of 275 kW (373
hp) and 700 Nm of torque, the new plug-in
hybrid driveline will also leave no-one wanting when it comes to performance. Audi will
present the first production model with TDI
e-tron in the course of 2015.
In contrast, another project is
still in the research phase. In November
2014, Audi announced its latest cooperation in the development and production of
synthetic fuels – e-fuels. The occasion was

the opening of a production facility by cooperation partner sunfire in Dresden. Here,
water, air and renewably generated, green
electricity are used to produce synthetic
diesel. The green electricity drives an electrolysis system in which water is split into
hydrogen and oxygen. In parallel, equipment provided by Swiss technology firm
climeworks uses the Direct Air Capturing
process to filter carbon dioxide directly out
of ambient air.
Finally, further process steps
convert the hydrogen and carbon dioxide
into an energy-rich hydrocarbon liquid. This
liquid is called Blue Crude and, like fossil
crude oil, is the starting material for further
processing. The pilot facility is planned to
produce up to 160 liters of Blue Crude per
day, 80 percent of which can be converted
into e-diesel. This synthetic diesel can then
be mixed with fossil fuel in any ratio.
Fröhlich reminds us that initial
samples from another Audi cooperation
facility in the USA were tested some time
ago with extremely promising results. How­
ever, the matters of industrialization and
distribution have still to be addressed. “It
won’t work without strong partners.” With
the power-to-gas facility in Northern Ger­
many, development engineers have already
demonstrated that Audi is in a position to
offer CO₂-neutral fuels. The plant generates synthetic methane, Audi e-gas, which
serves as a replacement for natural gas.
Customers of the A3 g-tron can already use
the offering, which enables CO₂-neutral
driving, independent of fossil fuels. In that
respect, there is also a wind of change blowing today – albeit a gentle one – but without
an oily fog this time.

Scan the QR code and see the video on
25 years of Audi TDI technology.

15

69

Encounter Technology

Self Starter
His invention changed the world
More than 100 years ago, Rudolf Diesel developed the very first compression-ignition
engine. This year, Audi is celebrating 25 years of TDI. High time for an
almost real-life interview on the topics of inventive spirit, efficiency and the future
of the diesel engine.
Text Dorothea Joos
Illustrations Maria Corte

Herr Diesel, your engine is now in half of the cars in Europe.
Would you have ever dreamed of this kind of success
120 years ago?
Never. I originally designed the engine as a stationary unit, although I was pretty certain that it could also be important for the
automobile. But the car still played virtually no role at the time in
Germany. German motor vehicles were sold largely in France.
Progress here was defined primarily by who had rubber wheels on
the carriage. Nevertheless, in 1905, I talked my wife Martha into
buying an automobile – as study material, you might say. We
bought a seven-seater red car made by NAG. It had chain drive and
a pretty respectable 24hp. I was over the moon. But there was a
long way to go from the heavy marine diesel engines to the first
production diesel engine in a car in 1936.
You took the first step. What was the inspiration for
your invention?
The quest for efficiency! The steam engines that were around at the
time had an efficiency level of just 15 percent. I wanted to improve
on that. But I had to accept that the heat losses from a steam engine were simply too high. Then I thought about the compression
lighter that I became acquainted with as a student in my physics
lessons. It consisted of a glass flask in which the air was pressed
together. The pressure produced heat – enough to ignite a piece of
tinder. That provided important food for thought when it came
later to the operation of my engine.

But it wasn’t that easy, was it? At least, you wrote in your books
that the invention of the diesel engine was a “tale of woe”.
It certainly was. There were plenty of problems. First, there were
engineers who didn’t want to believe in the principle of my engine.
After putting a great deal of work into convincing them, I was finally given a position at the Maschinenfabrik Augsburg, where
I had a prototype built. I invited leading engineers to the first testing session. I commenced the injection; there was a loud bang, the
measuring device exploded and pieces shot past us. This explosion
was the most fortuitous shock I have ever suffered, because it
proved that the principle worked! Nevertheless, we still had a lot
of hard work ahead of us. After all, major inventions don’t happen
on their own, they are the result of the continual development and
perfecting of an idea. They are brought to life by the belief we have
in them and all the energy we invest in them.
Your first functional engine weighed 4.5 metric tons,
generated 20 hp, but was still the most efficient engine in
the world. When you see what has now become of your
invention, what amazes you most?
The late but fundamental alteration of its image. For 100 years, it
was considered a loud, lame, smelly and uncultivated drive – boring
even. Today, however, it stands for sporty performance and fuel
efficiency. As far as power, torque, emissions and refinement are
concerned, it has undergone a far greater transition than the sparkignition engine created by my colleague Otto. TDI pioneer Audi has
made a major contribution to this. Audi engineers have focused on
the same thing that drove me back then – efficiency. They are systematically optimizing my engine to achieve greater power with
superior torque and low pollutant emissions. Today, the diesel engine has an efficiency of which I would never have dared to dream.
Thanks to lightweight design, turbochargers and pollutant filters,
it has in many respects become a serious competitor to the gasoline
engine.

1858
Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel
is born in Paris.

1880
Diesel graduates from the Munich Technical College with
the best exam results in the college’s history.

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Encounter Technology

Speaking of competition – Nicolaus Otto invented
the predecessor to today’s spark-ignition engine in 1876.
Did you see him as a rival?
No. I was familiar with the principle of his engine, but my approach
arose primarily from an improvement to the steam engine. Which
is why I also never had any dialogue with Herr Otto. Today, however,
I must admit that the ultimate diesel engine is far more closely
related to the spark-ignition engine than to the steam engine.
In the beginning, you worked on your engine completely by
yourself. It wasn’t until you joined Maschinenfabrik
Augsburg that other engineers became involved. How does
the work of today’s engineers differ from yours?
Technical revolutions are rarer today than they were in my time. It’s
much more about continual improvement; about evolution. Work
in large teams of experts ranging from mechanical engineering to
chemistry is far more important in today’s automotive development, as is networking with other areas, like design. In my day, the
engine was the heart of the automobile and we were happy even
if it only half ran. Today, cars are an amazing overall work of art, encompassing technology and design. However, I believe that the
genes of the engineer remain the same – the passion for the highest
engineering achievement, the quest for technical perfection and
the search for challenges.

Visitors to the German Museum of Technology in Munich can
wonder at the very first diesel car engine you built.
Where do you see the future of the diesel engine – will we
one day only be able to see it in a museum?

March 18, 1858
Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel is born
in Paris.

I don’t think so. The diesel engine will be able to meet demands for
performance and low fuel consumption in future, too. The best
example is that, since the launch of the TDI, its power and torque
have increased by 100 percent, while pollutant emissions have
fallen by 98 percent. New fuels also mark a step into the future. I
conducted research into bio-fuels myself, back in the day. Audi is
now considerably further forward with Audi e-diesel, which will
make it possible in future to drive with neutral emissions.
Herr Diesel, your death on the crossing to England is
shrouded in conspiracy theories. Can you shed any light on
this final secret?
You mean, whether it was the oil industry that had me thrown overboard, or whether I fell victim to the battle over licensing or the
confusion in the run-up to the First World War? Some even believe
it was suicide. Certain secrets should be left in peace. My invention
has made me immortal.

1870
The Diesel family has to leave Paris
and Rudolf Diesel is sent to
live with his uncle in Augsburg.

1903
Diesel travels on the world’s first
diesel-powered ship.

1872
Diesel writes to his parents,
telling them he has decided to become a mechanical engineer.

1908
Construction of the first small
Diesel engine and the first Diesel
locomotive.

1875
Diesel begins his studies at the
Technical College in Munich.

September 29/30, 1913
Diesel drowns in the English Channel
on the ferry crossing to England.

1878
Diesel has initial plans for a highly
efficient steam engine.

1923
The first diesel-powered truck
is built.

1880
Diesel graduates with the best exam
results in the college’s history and
goes to work at the ice factory owned
by Carl Linde in Paris and Berlin.

1933
The Citroën Rosalie is the first car
to be equipped with a diesel
engine, but it does not enter series
production.

1892
Diesel is granted his first patent for
an internal combustion engine.

1936
Mercedes-Benz and Hanomag
build the first production cars with
diesel engines – the 260 D
and the Rekord.

1893 – 1897
Work progresses on developing
the diesel engine at the Maschinen­
fabrik Augsburg.

In my day, the engine was
the heart of the
automobile and we were
happy even if it only
half ran. Today, cars are
an amazing overall work of
art, encompassing
technology and design.

1898
Diesel spends several months
in a sanatorium and convalescence,
recovering from exhaustion.

1900
The diesel engine is awarded the
Grand Prix at the World Fair in Paris.

1903
Diesel travels on the world’s first
diesel-powered ship.

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1908
Construction of the first diesel
locomotive.

73

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1900
The Diesel engine is awarded
with the Grand Prix at the World Fair
in Paris.

1913
Diesel drowns in the English Channel
on the ferry crossing to England.

BOBBY
CAR
Text
Ann Harder

Audi has brought the world’s sportiest piloted car to the race track –
a driverless Audi RS 7 Sportback runs laps around the Grand Prix
circuit in Hockenheim at top speeds of up to 240 km/h. Its name is the
Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept, known for short among the
technicians as “Bobby”.

The race track is the toughest test lab,
for piloted driving, too. The findings we draw
from our testing at top speeds are worth
their weight in gold to the production-mature
piloted systems.
Peter Bergmiller
Project Manager “Bobby”

October 19, 2014, 12:58 pm. Hockenheim­
ring. The Audi RS 7 Sportback concept
reaches pole position. 4,575 meters lie ahead of it. It must accelerate to the max on six straights and find the perfect braking
point in 17 bends. The objective is to drive a precise racing line on
the 15-meter-wide track – in just over two minutes and at top
speeds of up to 240 km/h. This is going to be quite a performance,
because the car is all on its own. There is no driver at the wheel and
no technician on-board.
The car is called the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept, known for short by the technicians as “Bobby”, in honor of
Ameri­can racing legend Robert William “Bobby” Unser. He was a
professional racer in search of spectacular driving action, winning races like the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and the
Indianapolis 500. Now Bobby wants to write history, too – as the
world’s sportiest piloted car.
“Piloted driving is a megatrend for the automotive
future. Shaping this by pushing the technology behind it as far as
we can is one of our most important brand values,” explains Prof.
Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi Board Member for Technical Devel­
opment. Measuring up to these also means always setting ourselves new challenges, like developing a car that can travel at the
edges of the performance envelope without a driver; steered only
by the car’s technical systems.”

What sounds initially like science-fiction is something
that Audi wants to turn into reality – at top speed, of course. The
objective of the Audi engineers is to match the top performance
of a professional racing driver in terms of speed, precision and
vehicle control. The basis is provided by an Audi RS 7 Sportback;
412 kW (560 hp), from zero to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. “The
Audi RS 7 already comes with the necessary power,” says Thomas
Müller, Head of Development Braking, Steering and Driver Assis­
tance Systems for AUDI AG. “What we had to do was equip the car
with the associated intelligence. That means developing technical
systems that ensure highly precise orientation and exact steering
even at extremely high speeds.”
The technical solution for these demands is a GPS system with pinpoint accuracy, enhanced with special correction data.
The additional data are transmitted to the car via wi-fi to the
Automotive Standard and redundantly via high frequency, too. In
parallel, 3D cameras film the track, while a computer program
compares the image information against a data set stored onboard the Audi. This ensures precise orientation on the circuit.
Plus, extensive on-board networking coupled with high-precision
control of all relevant factors makes it possible for the prototype
to drive at the physical limits.

1

4
Scan the QR code and experience the Audi RS 7 piloted
driving concept live at the limit in Hockenheim.

1 Visionary – Project Manager Peter Bergmiller
and his team have developed the brand’s
latest technical showstopper.
2 Completely driverless – when the red
lever is turned, Bobby takes over control of
the vehicle.
3 Tough love – Bobby has been tested over
thousands of kilometers.
4 Power and spirit – the 560 hp Audi RS 7
Sportback is controlled by the vehicle electron­
ics alone.

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6
7

3

1

5

The development of the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept incorporated countless findings from previous tests of driverless systems conducted by the brand. Audi has been successfully
testing piloted driving in various situations for more than ten
years. This includes a session in 2009 with an Audi TTS on the
Bonneville Salt Flats in the US state of Utah. The prototype executed an exact cornering maneuver without a driver, tracing the
brand’s four rings in the salty lake bed. The following year, a driverless Audi TTS drove the legendary Pikes Peak in Colorado without
a driver at the wheel. It completed the 20 kilometer course with a
total of 156 bends in 27 minutes.
The brand has been driving with its piloted systems on
the roads of the USA since 2013. It was the first automaker in the
world to receive approval from the authorities in the US state of
Nevada to test piloted cars on public roads. Licenses for piloted
test driving in Florida and California followed in 2014.
This has enabled Audi to demonstrate the potential of
the technology multiple times over. The brand is now going to the
limits with Bobby, setting a new standard in piloted driving, “The
Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept processes enormous amounts
of data and sensor signals in real time and can control gas, brakes,
steering and transmission with absolute precision. A 560 hp car is
being driven at the limits here by the electronics alone,” explains
Dr. Hackenberg.

The sensors
with which “Bobby”
sees the world

We are increasing safety on public roads
considerably with the intelligence
of piloted systems. Driverless functions can,
for instance, diffuse critical situations
that arise when the driver is inattentive or
distracted.

Audi engineers have already successfully tested and
developed the electronics on thousands of test kilometers. The
findings gathered by Audi from piloted driving at the physical limits also flow continually into series development. “The race track
is the toughest test lab, for piloted driving, too,” says Audi engineer and project manager Peter Bergmiller. “The findings we draw
from our testing at top speeds are worth their weight in gold to
the production-ready piloted systems.”
Audi is working hard on future series technologies like
piloted parking and traffic jam pilots. For Audi, piloted systems
are first and foremost an important technological step when it
comes to road traffic safety and one that must be pushed heavily.
“We are increasing safety on public roads considerably with the
intelligence of piloted systems,” says Dr. Horst Glaser, Head of
Development Suspension at AUDI AG. “Driverless functions could,
for instance, diffuse critical situations that arise when the driver
is inattentive or distracted – quite simply by enabling the car to
handle these situations for them. One additional benefit is that
drivers are far more relaxed when their attention is required again,
such as when traffic frees up after congestion. Then they are fully
on the ball once more.”

9

Piloted driving is a megatrend for the automotive
future. Shaping this by pushing the technology
behind it as far as we can is one of our most important
brand values.

Bobby has a major role to play en route to this. It now
has to demonstrate its skill in front of tens of thousands of spectators at the Hockenheimring. The green starting flag is raised.
The prototype accelerates with the throttle fully open and brakes
right on time ahead of the north bend. Thanks to precise turn in
and a perfectly balanced throttle, Bobby maintains the ideal line.
Under braking, the forces exerted are more than 1.3 g, while
lateral acceleration in the corners reaches 1.1 g. After just around
two minutes, the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept stops again.
One lap of the track has been completed – driverless, at the limit.
Audi has proven that top-speed science fiction can become science

“A profile of me? Then please make it a whacky one!”
That’s Heinz Hollerweger for you – always a smart comment; always something cheeky.
And with a huge passion for extreme cars. He is precisely the right person for quattro
GmbH. The new Audi RS 3 Sportback, which comes to market in 2015, is the first model
under his direction.

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Text
Eva Backes

Photos
Tobias Sagmeister

No other race track is as demanding as the
Nordschleife – 20.8 kilometers, 73 bends
and an altitude differential of 290 meters. The track in the Eifel is
considered the pinnacle of racing and offers ideal conditions for
test driving. quattro GmbH is there several times a year, as it was
recently with the Audi RS 3 Sportback*. Also there, was new quattro
boss Heinz Hollerweger.
Helmet on – and off we go. Hollerweger starts the engine; the five-cylinder sounds amazing, then the car races off, takes
the first bends heading for Hatzenbach, disappears into the dip and
turns in towards the Flugplatz section. The camouflaged prototype
is very close to the production version; just a few details still require
fine tuning. First and foremost, the Nordschleife is the location for
a very special endurance drive – the RS 3 Sportback has to cover
8,000 kilometers on the Nürburgring, putting it under enormous
load in fast-forward. Not until then, can it take to the roads.

“A drive like this is an absolute privilege for me,” says
Hollerweger, as the rev counter runs to 6,000 and the Eifel landscape flies past the side window, “a very special facet of my dream
job.” Normally, it is engineers and race drivers who do the test driving. Today, it is the boss himself who is at the wheel.
Hollerweger has known the Green Hell since the start
of his career. “As a young engineer, I took driving lessons on the
Nordschleife and what was then the Südschleife. I was allowed to
conduct initial tuning drives here, which was absolutely fascinating
for me. I subsequently had very little opportunity to come here,
which makes it even better now to be back.” Hollerweger is a fullblooded “Audianer”. At the age of 61, he has never worked for anyone else – not even a secondment to Wolfsburg – always Audi. He
knows the brand intimately and loves it deeply. “I’ve never lost the
fascination, the enthusiasm for the brand, the people. At some
point, I just didn’t want to leave any more.”
“Holli” as his co-workers and staff affectionately call
him, has been the boss at quattro GmbH since April 2014. The onehundred-percent subsidiary of AUDI AG sold almost 15,000 cars
last year and launched a total of seven new RS models in the last
24 months alone. quattro GmbH is a real car company in its own
right, with all the relevant departments. “For me, this is a wonderful job and, at the same time, a whole new experience to be responsible for an entire company. This is where all the different aspects
come together, from development to sales.” Hollerweger hates to
be bored; making the curiosity he has maintained after 40 years
with Audi all the greater. “It’s important to keep looking around
left and right to see what’s happening.”
Hollerweger already has concrete targets for quattro
GmbH; he wants to turn the company into an innovation lab. “We
have the chance here to be trailblazers and pioneers, implementing
new engines and technologies, and then transferring this experi-

4 Top down – during testing season, Hollerweger
occasionally takes the wheel himself.

Power in a compact
format – the new
Audi RS 3 Sportback
2
1 Eyecatcher – Hollerweger’s company
car is a real one-off.

3 Nickname – for co-workers and staff, the
quattro boss is known simply as “Holli”.

Emotional sound, thrillingly high revving and thumping power;
the Audi five-cylinder is a legend. With an output of 270 kW
(367 hp) and 465 Nm of torque, the new RS 3 Sportback is the
most powerful compact car in the premium segment. With
its impressive turbocharged five-cylinder, the five-door accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds and can reach a
top speed of 280 km/h.

7
6 Close cooperation – there is also intense
dialogue with the suppliers on-site. When it
comes to the shock absorber settings,
it is perfect mapping that counts.
7 Well sorted – springs and shims in various
shapes and sizes for building shock absorbers.
8 Fine tuning – the final adjustments and
measurements take place in the workshop.

11

8

ence to Audi’s volume models.” Which is where quattro GmbH benefits from its long-standing expertise in small production runs.
“Our customers want real technology, not mass products,” explains
Hollerweger. He also wants to push quattro GmbH further forward
in terms of internationalization. “We want to strengthen our global presence in future and offer more RS models on more international markets. We see particular potential in China, the USA,
Russia and the Middle East.”
Hollerweger was born in Linz. The fascination for cars
didn’t come until relatively late, as the Austrian didn’t pass his
driving test until he was 24. “At school, I was fat and thick as a
plank,” he says mischievously. It’s hard to imagine that today.
Hollerweger, tall and lean, is known for his discipline. It’s not unusual for him to be sitting at his desk at four or five in the morning,
or for him to jump into his ice-cold pool to strengthen his immune
system.

Hollerweger likes to stay on the gas – professionally and
personally. And his interests are not restricted to horsepower and
torque. He is very involved with literature in his free time. He even
writes – his life story, for instance, or poetry about life and love. “It
just kind of bubbles out of me.” And then there’s his enthusiasm
for architecture. “I have moved house more than 22 times in my
life,” calculates Hollerweger. He has built a total of six houses, all
self-designed – with partners who have implemented his unconventional ideas; slanting surfaces, for instance, an unusual façade
or a special bay window.
The first lap on the Nordschleife has been completed.
How was it? “Wicked!” says Hollerweger as he climbs out the car.
“The challenge with the RS 3 Sportback was to make something
that was already very very good even better. We refined the engine’s
torque build-up and power output. The car is now more precise, without losing the edges that an RS model always needs to have.”

9

We have the chance here
to be trailblazers and
pioneers, implementing new
engines and technologies.

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Heinz Hollerweger

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Perfect fit – nothing runs in the shock absorber
without oil.

10

Precision – just tiny adjustments are enough to
make a completely new shock absorber.

The RS 3 Sportback is the first model to be launched
under the di­rection of Heinz Hollerweger. Alongside the optimum
suspension tuning, the Nürburgring is also the setting for the ultimate endurance test – the Ring enables a car life to be simulated
in fast-forward. This ensures that all systems are functioning properly. “It’s running really well!” says Hollerweger with satisfaction
when he looks in on his team at the workshop. This is where the
final adjustments are being made to tires, running gear and control
systems.
After 24 hours at the Ring, Hollerweger heads for home.
His company car is a one-off – an RS 7 Sportback* with elaborate
decals, yellow flashes, “Hollerweger autograph” and a spoiler that
deploys when flat out, revealing the following message, “… leider
geil!” (unfortunately cool!). “Not your average car!” smiles Holler­
weger. And right he is.

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Technical Data

15

Audi RS 3 Sportback

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13

Propulsion – at the back are the impressive diffuser
and generously proportioned end pipes.

Ready for take-off – the RS 3 Sportback is the
sports car for every day.

16

The Audi RS 3 Sportback – big air intakes, a distinctive
blade, a special Singleframe.

Emotional fivecylinder: The 2.5 TFSI
guarantees goose
bumps.
The throaty roaring and hissing, backed by the rhythm of the five-cylinder
ignition sequence 1 – 2 – 4 – 5 – 3 is the classic Audi soundtrack. Two flaps
in the exhaust pipes behind the muffler control the exhaust flow and deliver
an even more intense sound experience based on engine speed and load.

The Write
Way
Navigation in China
Looking for a good restaurant in Beijing? Or in Shanghai?
No problem – as long as you have an Audi to guide you.

Precision – lane recommendation is often key.

Text
Hermann Reil

Photos
Manfred Jarisch

Good food is very important to people in
China. The tables of its cities’ countless restaurants are always packed full, piled high with dishes in endless
variations. Most restaurants offer one specific, regionally based
cuisine and are important meeting points for business and leisure,
work and family. However, in the seemingly impenetrable city­
scapes, they are often hard to find, particularly as they like to hide
themselves in back courtyards or on the seventh floor of a commercial building. This is a classic application field for a navigation
system.

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Szechuan restaurants are stored in
the system for the Chaoyang district alone.

Taste – there is an endless variety
of Chinese cuisine.

Shanshan Cao is not in the mood today for Cantonese,
Beijing or Shanghai cuisine; she would like to eat something from
Szechuan Province – those dishes often prepared with liberal use
of a wide variety of chilies that can frequently overchallenge the
palates of unsuspecting visitors from Europe or the USA. But where
can she find the right restaurant in Beijing? Easy: she asks her A3!
“Search for a Szechuan restaurant” – by voice command in Chinese,
of course. The answer is overwhelming; several thousand suggestions for Beijing, 373 for the Chaoyang district alone. Okay, the best
thing would be to narrow it down by distance. Shanshan finally opts
for the Ba Guo Bu Yi close to the Guomao Bridge. So give the starting command to the navigation system and the short trip can begin.
For Shanshan Cao and her colleague Xiashang Yin, this
is also a test drive. That’s why, this time, they didn’t call one of the
friendly people at the Audi Call Center to ask for help (see below),
but instead are trying out the expanded voice entry system. Cao
and Yin work at the Audi Development Center in Beijing; she is a
software engineer, responsible for the design of the MMI operating
surface; he is project manager for the Asian version of the MMI
system in the Audi A3. Together with their roughly 80 co-workers,
they perfect the Audi operating system in the Chinese capital to
meet the demands and habits of customers in Asia.

Destination entry is an important example. Addresses
in China are complicated and often not very precise. So points of
interest are recorded in far more exacting detail than in the West.
Alongside public institutions and fuel stations, these include all
kinds of shopping facilities, split into categories like cosmetics or
jewelry stores. The array of food on offer is similarly differentiated:
Besides western and fast food, Audi navigation knows 13 different
types of Chinese cuisine, from Guangdong, through Dongbei to Hot
Pot. And, as previously mentioned, there are 373 suggestions for
Szechuan cuisine in the Beijing district of Chaoyang alone.
The Audi navigation map for China knows ten million
such points of interest (POIs). But there is another number that
sounds even more incredible to western ears – and that stands as
a symbol for the pace of renewal in this country. Eight million of
these POI entries are deleted, changed or renewed every year. This
is because entire streets of buildings pop up, because whole districts of the city are built in the space of a single year, because all
kinds of shops are opened and because they often disappear again
just as quickly.

10
mill.

points of interest are stored
in the MMI navigation system for China.

Ring road – a missed turn off can lead
to a lengthy detour.

Voice entry of complete addresses is another step toward adaptation to the complexities of Asian communication. MMI
touch in the A6, A7, A8 and A3 models brought a major leap forward and a significant advantage relative to all of the competition.
Just like the comparatively simple western characters, the system
also understands the often incredibly complex characters used in
the languages of China, South Korea and Japan. More than 29,000
(!) different Chinese, 7,249 Korean and 6,710 Japanese characters
can be drawn by finger on the touchpad – and the Audi recognizes
them with amazing accuracy. However, Shanshan Cao explains that
there are even more entry options, mostly in the form of phonetic
simplifications in Latin letters. These kinds of alphabet are known
as Pinyin in Chinese, Bopomofo in Taiwan, Hangul in South Korea
and Hiragana, Kanji or Katakana in Japan.

Innovative – the recognition rate is very high,
even for complex characters.

But China sets far more challenges for a communication
and navigation system than "just" the language. There’s the breathtaking pace of change. Even with updates every six months, sections of semi-completed highway are always popping up in the real
world before they make it onto the digitalized image. In the few
areas of the city that have been kept original, the road layout sometimes has no sense of order whatsoever, while new sections of road
occasionally have surprising complications that very rarely exist in
Europe. These include roads stacked in several layers one above the
other. Looked at two-dimensionally, i.e. from above, you see just
one line, when, in reality, this represents several completely different roads. This is further aggravated by multi-layer on and offramps – basically huge “spiral staircases” with multiple exits onto
the various levels.

Concentrated – the navigation solutions for Asia
are developed at the R&D center in Beijing.

“This is where the third dimension, the precise height
position of the vehicle, is key. The GPS signal is not enough here,”
says Intakhab Khan, Head of Infotainment Development for Asia.
Audi uses highly sensitive vehicle sensors able to recognize altitude
differences of 0.03 meters and calculate the necessary correction.
In tunnels, too, or other areas with poor or no GPS signal, the car
continues to calculate its position precisely using wheel movement,
steering angle and turning direction – providing a distinct advantage
compared with retrofit solutions. One more challenge for electronic route identification is the road lanes, which are often directly next
to one another in Chinese cities, although belonging to completely
different roads. “A recommendation of the correct lane is often real­
ly helpful in such complex traffic,” says Intakhab Khan, “which
means the car must know precisely where it is.”
Khan is particularly proud of the new online traffic information system, which provides a far more up-to-date and precise image of the traffic situation than the existing TMC system.
Similar to the one in Germany, the new system is based on anonymous movement data from a large number of vehicles. However,
in contrast to Ingolstadt, this regularly leads to map images in
Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou being more red than green.

meters’ altitude differential
can already be registered by the system.
Distinctive – the building of
CCTV state television.

8
mill.

points of interest
are modified every year.

Naturally, the younger generation in the major Chinese
cities are “always on”, perhaps more so than in the West. Young
people use smartphones intensively for Weibo (the Chinese version
of Twitter), RenRen (similar to Facebook) and Baidu (China’s Google).
Shanshan Cao, the young specialist for human-machine interfaces,
points to the Audi connect services: A precise weather report including current radar images can be called up onto the screen, as
can flight or travel info.
All this perfection of machines notwithstanding, one
special Audi connect service in China is based on direct contact from
person to person: At the touch of a button on the POI Call function,
the Audi driver or passenger is connected to an incredibly helpful
Audi employee in the connect call center. The search for destinations, requests for opening hours or reservations are dealt with
here immediately. The Audi Call Center can also feed routes into
the vehicle’s navigation system via phone transmission – all the
customer then has to do is drive.
And Intakhab Khan knows that the restaurant search
function in the navigation system can be further optimized, too.
“We will soon add guest reviews for restaurants from a continually
updated online database. Then your Audi will know not only the
addresses, but also the quality of the restaurants.” Ba Guo Bu Yi has
certainly earned a recommendation – even though some of the
dishes really were very spicy.

Broad – the roads are running alongside
one another, but in a few minutes,
they will diverge. This is where precision of
just a few meters matters.

Narrow – there are still a few traditional districts in
Beijing, where navigation is particularly difficult.

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Magazine

Pom Power

97

Only those prepared to look beyond their horizons
can evaluate and build on their own progress. Technology
news from around the world.
Text: Marlon Matthäus

Further information:
www6.slac.stanford.edu

Image source: www.shutterstock.com

The shape of the pomegranate is providing
researchers at Stanford University and the associated
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory with a role model
for improved lithium-ion batteries. The scientists arranged carbon-coated silicon nano-particles in a carbon
shell based on the layout of seeds in a pomegranate.
This approach improves the flow of electricity, while
minimizing undesirable reactions between the silicon
and the battery’s electrolyte. “Experiments have shown
that our pomegranate-inspired anode still operates at
97 percent capacity even after 1,000 charge cycles,”
stresses Yi Cui, Professor of Materials Research at
Stanford.

Green Energy Storage

Researchers at the Friedrich Schiller Univer­
sity in Jena, Germany, are working on thin and flexible
film batteries made from innovative, renewable plastics. These conductive polymers can be printed in just
a few minutes as a paste using ink-jet or screen printing. Among the elements used for storing electricity in
the plastic batteries are stable radicals. “They close an
important gap on the road to completely renewable
energy supply,” say the researchers. Although there
may already be green technologies for generating energy, there has not previously been a green means for
storing energy.

Inductive charging has been
around for a while. South Korean
scientists are now going one step
further and sending electricity
wirelessly over a distance of five
meters. The system consists of
magnetic dipole coils that vibrate
at the same frequency. Highfrequency alternating current at
the primary coil generates a magnetic field that induces a voltage at
the second coil. In initial tests,
the experts succeeded in sending
enough electricity through the
air to power a large LCD tele­vision
and three fans. “We will be able
to use our electronic devices anytime and anywhere, without
entangling ourselves in cable and
without having to think about
charging their batteries,” say the
researchers.

5m
Further information:
www.uni-jena.de

Air Power

Image source: Yi Cui Group at Stanford University

Image source: Jan-Peter Kasper/FSU Jena

Eco-electricity from film – energy storage made from renewable
plastics extends the green energy concept to batteries, too.

Image source: Swinburne University of Technology

Bundled power – the shape of the pomegranate helps
achieve an improved flow of electricity and reduced capacity loss
in lithium-ion batteries.

Encounter Technology

Copying Nature – dragonfly wings serve as the inspiration for
the development of anti-bacterial nanomaterials.

Experts at the University of Califor
To the Point
nia have developed an organic
battery that can be temporarily apResearchers at Swinburne University of
plied to the skin and can charge
Technology are working on a surface that uses intelliitself from sweat, e.g. during sport. gent nano-structures to lacerate the cell walls of bacteria, which stops bacteria from spreading in the first
Visually similar to a tattoo, it
place. The scientists based their thinking on the transincorporates sensors with special
parent front wings of a dragonfly. Under the microenzymes that react with lactate, a scope, they identified countless sharp needles on their
surface – each one just 240 nanometers high. “This
natural constituent of human
means a new approach for the development of a further
sweat. The enzyme draws out the
generation of anti-bacterial nanomaterials for use in
lactate electrons, thus generating medicine,” say the researchers.
a weak electric current. In future,
Further information:
it should be possible to use this
www.swinburne.edu.au
technology to charge small electric
devices.
Further information:
www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu

Further information:
www.kaist.edu

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px

Image source: Axilum Robotics

Brainwave – thanks to transcranial magnetic stimulation,
the power of thought can transmit binary codes to a “receiver”
in the form of light impulses.

Telepathy

Image source: Courtesy of the researchers

An international team of researchers has
succeeded in transmitting the thoughts of a test subject over a distance of almost 8,000 kilometers to a
second test subject. The “sender” in India wore an electrode cap and was asked to think about a specified code
of ones and zeros. The signals from India were sent via
the internet to the “receiver” in Strasbourg, France. He
received the thoughts via transcranial magnet stimulation using coils attached to his temples. This stimulated the part of the brain responsible for evaluating
nerve impulses from the eyes. The code of ones and
zeros then appeared in the form of bright flashes to
the receiver, who was able to repeat the number sequence correctly.
Further information:
www.axilumrobotics.com

Fill-in

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Further information:
www.berkeley.edu

Shot from the Air

A team of researchers is working with Stan­
ford physicist Christoph Kohstall on a wearable minidrone that can leap from the wrist when needed and take
airborne photos or videos of the wearer. After the photo
session, the foldable drone can then be conveniently
wrapped back around the wrist. With their concept, the
researchers are combining wearables and drones, thereby opening up completely new fields of application.
Further information:
www.stanford.edu
Image source: Christoph Kohstall

It may be possible in future for
metals to heal themselves with the
aid of nano-particles of titanium
and nickel. Research group Adaptive Strukturwerkstoffe (Adaptive
Structural Materials) at the Max
Planck Institute for Iron Research
(MPIE) in Düsseldorf is investi­
Bendy idea – screens made from nanomaterial graphene are
gating shape-memory alloys that
extremely thin and flexible.
can “remember” their original
micro-structure following deform­

Graphics on Graphene
ation. If, for example, cracks were
to occur in metals, the material
Researchers at the University of Cambridge
would be able to repair the defect
have presented a prototype of an ultra-thin, flexible
itself. Areas of application are
screen made from nanomaterial graphene. Just a few
carbon atoms thick, graphene is one of the most stable,
primarily compo­nents in hard-toyet lightweight materials there is. It is electrically conreach locations or those whose
ductive and highly ductile. The prototype display is still
materials which have to be par­
black-and-white and the resolution relatively low.
However, work is ongoing on color and high-resolution
ticularly reliable, such as in aeromodels. Foldable e-paper is therefore no longer a vision
space or automotive products.
of the future.
Further information:
www.mpie.de

Staying Sharp

People who wear glasses could in
future be able to dispense with their
optical assistance when working
at a computer or watching television. Scientists as the University of
Berkeley are working on a techno­logy that enables information displayed on a screen to adapt to the
visual impairment of the viewer. A
plastic filter with thousands of
tiny holes functions in conjunction
with a sophisticated algorithm. The
light emitted by each pixel is controlled in such a way as to land on
the viewer’s retina in perfect focus.

Image source: Plastic Logic

Ni

Hole in one – a new material uses “intelligent” adaptation
to reduce drag.

A Question of Resistance

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) have further developed the characteristics of a golf ball. The irregular surface of a golf
ball reduces its aerodynamic drag, meaning it can fly
considerably further than it could with a smooth shell.
At very high speeds, however, this benefit becomes a
disadvantage and the ball is decelerated. The experts
have now developed an “intelligent” material that
adapts automatically to the prevailing drag, thus reducing it. A coating such as this could also enable cars
and aircraft to travel more efficiently from A to B.
Further information:
www.web.mit.edu

Further information:
www.cam.ac.uk
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Selfie from above – Christoph Kohstall’s mini-drone can be released from the wrist on command and take photos of its wearer.

The Energy Wonder Flywheel Storage Device

Be it on the race track or in the Computer Center –
flywheel storage devices are indispensible for Audi. They can store energy and
then release it again in double-quick time. And what, in lightweight form,
helped the Audi R18 e-tron quattro to victory in Le Mans, ensures in Ingolstadt
that data is protected and production continues safely in the event of
a power loss.

Text
Stephanie Huber

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Phtotos
Manfred Jarisch

It would be catastrophic – a short circuit
and power failure in Ingolstadt. Nothing
would be able to function on the almost three million square meters of the Audi plant. The giant presses that normally make the
ground shudder would stand silent, as would the assembly lines.
The arms of hundreds of welding robots that, just moments before, had been spraying sparks, would hang lifelessly. No monitors
would glow; no printers would spit out paper. Instead, all would
be silent and dark. In a matter of seconds, all data pertaining to
the company would hang in the balance.
“Computers and storage systems cannot balance out
power fluctuations or lengthy supply failures. They fail in a matter
of milliseconds,” explains Lorenz Schöberl, Head of the Audi Com­
puter Center in Ingolstadt. This is a horror scenario for a global
company like Audi, where millions of e-mails are transferred and
enormous amounts of data processed every day. But Schöberl reassures us, “We don’t have to worry about a scenario like that at
Audi. Our highly complex Computer Center is secured on multiple
levels and handles power fluctuations and power failures with
ease.”
The Computer Center offers multi-level security because it has built-in redundancy, which means that every outlet,
every cable, every transformer is duplicated. Plus, electricity is
supplied by two independent substations. If one network fails, the
other kicks in immediately. Should the entire supply collapse, the
flywheel storage system makes its big entrance.
Its rotor spins at 3,300 revs per minute and weighs
three metric tons – more than two Audi TTs. It races around its axis
seven days a week, 24 hours a day – until things get serious. When
that happens, it comes to a standstill in just 30 seconds, sending
its entire kinetic energy to a generator, which converts it into electricity.

“It is light, small and can
handle large amounts of power.
For us, this makes it the
ideal energy storage system
in hybrid race cars,” says
Thomas Laudenbach, speaking
about the flywheel storage
device.

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For the flywheel storage device, things get serious
when the power fails completely for longer than two seconds. In
that situation, it serves as a starter for one of two 3,200 hp diesel
engines. The emergency power unit needs 16 more seconds to run
up to full output. The eight flywheels bridge this gap in the Com­
puter Center. The workers in the factory are aware of none of this.
The power failure in the Computer Center goes by unnoticed by
them.
“Flywheel storage devices operate unobtrusively in
the background. However, they are indispensible not only in emergencies, but also in everyday work,” adds Lorenz Schöberl. They
regularly smooth out power fluctuations and bridge control current outages with zero interruptions – this is an essential prerequi­
site for data security.
But what connects these three-ton colossuses with
their comparatively miniscule counterpart in the R18 e-tron quattro hybrid race car? Despite the size and weight difference, the
demands are very similar in both cases. “It’s about absorbing a
large amount of power in a very short time and releasing it again
very quickly,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Head of Electrics, Elec­
tronics and Energy Systems at Audi Sport. The individual braking
phases during a race are incredibly short – four seconds at the
most. In this brief period of time, the flywheel storage in the race
car absorbs up to a maximum of 600 kilojoules.

Compared with its bigger sibling, the flywheel rotor in
the R18 e-tron quattro spins twelve times faster, at around 40,000
rpm. Because it is made from carbon fiber, the rotor is also a lightweight. “Compared with a battery, this form of energy storage is
the better alternative in motorsport for the hybrid class we selected, because every gram counts for us and the flywheel storage
system is considerably lighter,” says Laudenbach.
In the R18 e-tron quattro, the energy storage device is
connected to a motor-generator unit (MGU) at the front axle.
Under braking, the energy recuperated from the front wheels is
converted into electrical energy, which accelerates the flywheel
rotor. When the driver puts his foot down again, the process runs
in reverse. The rotor is slowed down, the kinetic energy is conver­t­
ed into electrical energy, which flows back into the MGU at the
front axle and accelerates the front wheels. “The flywheel storage
device is extremely efficient and makes the R18 e-tron quattro
even faster,” says Laudenbach. To minimize friction and heat, the
fly­wheel runs in a vacuum because, in contrast to the Computer
Center, the cooling system in the Le Mans winner has to be kept
as small as absolutely possible for packaging and aerodynamic
reasons.
In the hybrid race car, the flywheel storage system rotates only while driving. The large, heavy rotor in the Computer
Center, on the other hand, runs around the clock – until it has to be
replaced after around ten years. By comparison, the system in the
R18 e-tron quattro is extremely short-lived – it is optimized for the

duration of an endurance race over 24 hours.

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2
1 In the Computer Center – the flywheel
storage mechanism in the Computer Center ensures
a stable electricity network and data safety.
2 In the R 18 e-tron quattro – the flywheel storage
device in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid race car
is in the cockpit to the left of the driver.

Silver Eye
What Audi and Leica have in common
114
Lean Production
DRE – Ducati Riding Experience
122
E-Bull
The Asterion Gran Turismo from
Lamborghini
130

PASSION
Passion is a driving force of Audi’s
development work. Passion
means love, sometimes lust and always
full commitment.

The Fantastic Four
1914 to 2014 –
Audi’s legendary race cars

——

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138

Endurance Test
An endurance test
of man versus machine

Imprint

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Endurance
test
Text
Dr. Janine Bentz-Hölzl
Marlon Matthäus

Photos
Bernhard Huber
100 km

Illustrations
Carola Plappert
Barbara Stehle

With support from
Dr. Michael Specht

1,265 kg

53 kg

Final preparations before the start – the route is programmed
into the virtual cockpit, while shoe laces are tied.

19 inches

Shoe size
42

Three disciplines, one duel
In the third part of the series “Man versus
Machine”, ultra-marathon runner Pamela Veith goes head-to-head
with the new Audi TT ultra*. On a 100-kilometer route, the
opponents will be assessed in the categories energy requirements, CO₂ emissions and performance.
* Audi TT Coupé 2.0 TDI ultra:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 4.4 – 4.2;
Combined CO₂-emissions in g/km: 114 –110

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Energy Requirements

The Adversaries and the Arena

It is a very special kind of power struggle – a
brutal contest that demands everything
from the participants. Who burns the fewest calories on the road?
Who has the lowest CO₂ emissions? And, above all, who has the
most compelling overall package of performance and athleticism?
Man or machine? There can be only one winner.
Or, in this case, woman or machine. Pamela Veith is the
German champion in 100-kilometer ultra running. The 41 year-old
is on the starting line at a fighting weight of 53 kilograms. At a
height of 1.70 meters, she runs in European shoe size 42. Her best
time over 100 kilometers is 8 hours, 10 minutes and 15 seconds.
She can complete a 42-kilometer marathon in under three hours.
Her advantage – evolution.
The Audi TT ultra 2.0 TDI is the systematic development
of efficient drive technology. With an average fuel consumption of
4.2 liters per 100 kilometers and associated CO₂ emissions of just
110 grams per kilometer, it leads the field in the world of sports
cars. At a weight of 1,265 kilograms, the TT fights in the lightweight class. It takes its place on the starting line wearing 19-inch
tires. Its advantage – technology.
The start and finish line are at the Sylvenstein reservoir
right next to Bad Tölz in Bavaria. From there, the athletes travel
a 100-kilometer circuit, taking in the towns of Lenggries, Bad
Heilbrunn, Kochel and Wallgau, before they embark on the final
stage back toward the dam.

Endurance run – 100 kilometers lie ahead of the two contestants.
It calls for staying power and clever tactics.

Best time
over 100 km:
25 min

It might be an Olympic discipline, but for Pamela Veith it is nothing
more than a training unit. Marathon runners have to cover 42.195
kilometers. Pamela Veith, however, runs more than double that
distance. This challenge takes her to her physical limits and calls
for one thing above all else – energy.
Every individual has a basic metabolic rate. Purely to
“function”, Pamela Veith has to consume 1,320 kilocalories daily.
This metabolic rate climbs with light activity to around 2,220 kilocalories.
A car, on the other hand, does not have a metabolic
rate. When it is parked, the engine is switched off and no energy is
consumed. In the battle between man and machine, this is where
the TT scores its first point.
Then we come to the start. For the ultra runner from
Swabia, the 100 kilometers take true grit – and that costs energy.
She has to consume up to an additional 5,000 kilocalories to
achieve it, which equates to around 50 kilocalories per kilometer.
For the Audi TT, the contest is little more than a warmup session. But the Audi won’t budge an inch without energy.
Instead of food, it needs fuel – diesel to be precise – to drive its 2.0
TDI engine. Over a distance of 100 kilometers, the Audi TT ultra has
an average consumption of 4.2 liters, which works out at around
35,470 kilocalories.
In the battle of man versus machine, Pamela Veith is
now ahead of the Audi TT. Her energy needs are lower, making the
score 1:1. The ultra runner scores an extra point because her energy needs are met from renewable sources. The score now stands
at 2:1 in favor of the human being.

In the second discipline, we compare the contestants’ CO₂ emissions, as the combustion of energy leads to the generation of carbon
dioxide. People release CO₂ with every breath – this CO₂ has previously been extracted from the atmosphere through photosynthesis
and stored in food. This process is part of the natural carbon cycle.
When undertaking light activity, Pamela Veith generates around 874 grams of CO₂ per day. By running, Pamela increases not only her energy needs, but also her emissions. Over 100
kilometers, the ultra runner produces 2,271 grams of CO₂, which
adds up to 22.7 grams of CO₂ per kilometer run. This is a tremendous figure that puts her opponent under immense pressure.
The Audi TT ultra produces an average of 110 grams of
CO₂ per kilometer, which puts it above the figure achieved by
Pamela Veith. However, the sports car doesn’t give up that easily.
Firstly, the Audi TT ultra is a 2+2-seater. Just one passenger halves
its emissions. And secondly, the TT scores with its mechanical efficiency. If you take into account the weight of the car including
the driver, the Audi has lower CO₂ emissions than the ultra runner.
At a speed of 12.5 km/h, Pamela Veith achieves a figure of 0.43
grams per kilometer per kilogram. At the same speed, the Audi TT
ultra arrives at a figure of 0.14 grams per kilometer per kilogram
– despite the fact that the Audi’s consumption increases when
travel­ing in first gear.
Both contestants score in the discipline of CO₂ emissions. The tally now stands at 3:2 in favor of Pamela Veith. However,
the CO₂ exhaled by the runner is part of the natural cycle. Burning
fossil fuels, on the other hand, releases additional CO₂. The proportion of climate-polluting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases. The athlete takes a well-earned lead with 4:2.

Ideal line – our TT heads for its destination
along winding roads.

Performance
The 100 kilometers are almost done. It is now time for the main
discipline – which of the two opponents has the more convincing
performance? 100 kilometers sap energy and undermine Pamela’s
endurance. She has regular intakes of additional energy and, by the
end of the race, has consumed six carbohydrate-rich energy gels.
Her average consumption of isotonic drinks stands at
around five liters. She refuels at regular intervals – 300 milliliters
every 30 minutes. For its part, the Audi TT ultra has an average
consumption of 4.2 liters. One tank is theoretically enough for
1,190 kilometers. Put another way, before our TT has to return to
the pumps, it could run twelve whole ultra marathons. To compete
in this race, Pamela Veith would have to eat 72 energy gels – and
drink more than 60 liters. The machine scores a clear point here
for endurance.
When it comes to speed, the Audi TT ultra sets the bar
pretty high. It completes the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.1
seconds and reaches a top speed of no less than 241 km/h. At a
sprint, Pamela can reach a maximum of 33 km/h. Her average
speed over 100 kilometers is 12.5 km/h. This is a very good pace,
which brings her across the finish line in just over eight hours.
If it were to maintain its top speed, the Audi TT ultra
could complete the route in 25 minutes. However, on this particular circuit, the Audi has to deal here and there with speed limits and
red lights. Despite the circumstances, our sporty coupe crosses the
finish line after one hour and 45 minutes. It’s a very respectable
time, meaning the point for speed goes to the Audi TT ultra.
Conclusion: When it comes to performance, the machine makes a more compelling argument. Our TT ultra comes out
on top in both endurance and speed. After 100 kilometers, the
result is something of a surprise. The score stands at 4:4, making
the contest a draw.
Pamela Veith has earned her break. With no further
physical effort necessary, she takes a seat behind the wheel of the
Audi TT ultra and embarks on a relaxing drive home – with an exceptionally low consumption, of course.

241 km/h

3:2

33 km/h

4:2
0.43 g/km
per kilogram

4:4

0.14 g/km
per kilogram

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Text
Hermann Reil

Photos
Michael Agel, Leica Camera AG

Innovation in design –
Leica is also scoring high marks for design with its
new camera models. The cooperation
with Audi is delivering clear and powerful forms.

SILVER
eye
Precision, Minimalism, Innovation, Quality
Audi Design applies the same high standards to the products it
creates for cooperation partners as it does to its cars.
Those partners include the world’s most renowned camera maker, Leica.

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1,156 grams of precision you
can touch, see and feel. It is a
concept of the utmost minimalism, a design with an
absolute sense of purpose and a technology that is, of
course, state-of-the-art.
We’re not talking about a car here, as is immediately apparent from its weight figures. All other
characteristics, however, could very much be describing
an Audi – which reveals one of the secrets that make the
cooperation between Audi Design and Leica Camera AG
so special: They are very much on the same wavelength.
Leica is a big name in the photographic world.
This is where the small-size picture format was invented; this is where the finest lenses are produced and this
is the birthplace of the M – the legendary rangefinder
camera that has captured reportage images from
around the world; images that have long established
themselves as an inherent part of mankind’s visual
­recollection. For many people, the M is still, or once
again, the benchmark for photography and the single
true tool for the creative mind – since Leica took its very
own, unique approach to bringing the camera successfully into the digital age.
Transporting a legend such as this into the
­f u­ture, giving it a completely new visual interpreta­­ti­on, while consciously protecting the DNA of the brand
and the product; this is one of the toughest tasks a de­
­signer can face. But, obviously, it is also one of the most
exciting.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the Leica M,
this challenge was unquestionably mastered with convincing aplomb by Audi Design – or, to be more precise,
the product design department in Munich. The designers there work primarily outside the automotive arena,
cooperating with renowned brands the world over. And
it goes without saying that they apply exactly the same
degree of commitment and quality to their assignments
as they do to the automobiles bearing the four rings.
“We didn’t want to do something retrospective
to mark the anniversary of our M system, but rather
apply the core values of our brand in an innovative way,”
recalls Stefan Daniel, who is responsible for the Photo­
graphy function at Leica. He already had one very clear
idea – the anniversary model should not have a display.
No display! A high-class digital camera without the possibility to check the image immediately after it has been
shot? At first, this idea seems utterly absurd.
And yet, argues Stefan Daniel, it simply stands
to reason. Leica stands for absolute minimalism. Aside,
of course, from the photographer’s eye and his feel for
his subject matter, what this means in a photo is focus,
aperture, time and speed. Plus, the M also spent the
first five decades of its 60-year existence without a display – for the simple reason that photography was an
analogue medium shot on film. Leica still produces ana­
logue versions of the M and recently presented a model
with absolutely no electronics at all. A consistent approach for purists.

Anniversary without retro –
the special edition Leica M Edition 60 reinterprets the
original form of the small-picture
format camera with a new consistency.

We didn’t want to do
something retrospective to
mark the anniversary
of our M system, but rather apply
the core values of our
brand in an innovative way.
Stefan Daniel
The designer –
André Georgi heads up Audi Product Design
and is committed to extremely
high-quality haptics – as on the Leica T, with its
casing made from polished aluminum.

Those not seeking
innovation, those not
­wanting to take a
clear step forward have
no business contracting
Audi Design
in the first place.

Maximum concentration –
on/off switch, dial to set the exposure time, shutter release –
the Leica M Edition 60 needs no more than that.
And an inconspicuous button for the viewfinder read-out …

André Georgi
The cameraman –
Stefan Daniel is responsible for photographic
products for Leica Camera,
building differentiation through quality,
design and operation.

LEICA

Scan the QR code and see that even unpacking the
Leica M Edition 60 is quite an experience.

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M60
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Scan the QR code and see the most contemplative video spot we ever had –
nearly 45 minutes hand-polishing a Leica T casing.

Because we come
from the world of cars,
we are not only
well versed in the design
issues, but we also
know how best to work
with the materials –
especially aluminum.
André Georgi

Craftsmanship –
the casing of the Leica T is machined in one
piece from a block of aluminum and
then polished by hand for almost an hour.

Performance –
Leica has a high degree of vertical
integration, from the casing
for the T to the sensors for the M.

Precision –
Leica manufactures cameras and lenses
with a workforce of around
1,400 highly qualified specialists.

Classic merits were therefore the order of the
day – with maximum minimalism, but certainly not a
design with a retro feel about it. This was an ideal task
for the creative minds at Audi Design. “Leica is a dream
partner for us,” says André Georgi, who heads up Pro­
duct Design in Munich. “We are bound together by a
feeling for quality and extremely high standards. Both
parties have a very clear instinct for how a product has
to be.”
And so it was that the team from Audi Design
created a new icon for Leica: the Leica M “Edition 60”
carries the traditional, fundamental elements of the M
into the future, while taking it to its minimalist extreme. On top are only the shutter release with the on/
off switch and the dial for setting the exposure. On the
back is the speed setting. Then there’s obviously the
viewfinder – but that’s all.
“You have to approach the M very carefully, just
like any icon,” says Audi designer André Georgi. “We
retained the classic three-way division of metal-leathermetal, albeit with new proportions. The fundamental
form is intended to show the precision as clearly as possible. Every single radius is perfectly defined. With a
radius of 0.2 millimeters, it feels almost angular. The
strip of leather around the outside has no visible joints;
it should look like a solid block.”
What Georgi describes in just a few words is
the result of a hard-fought struggle, between designers
and engineers, between design requirements and manu­
facturing feasibility, between consistency and costs.
And, in this case, also between the service provider (design) and the customer (manufacturer). “We obviously
fight for our ideas,” states André Georgi. “Those not
seeking innovation, those not wanting to take a clear
step forward have no business contracting Audi Design
in the first place.” In the case of the Leica cooperation,
however, the customer is grateful for this debate because, as Leica manager Stefan Daniel says, “Only with
friction, with lengthy discussion, do we arrive at the
best solution.”
Leica Camera is very vertically integrated; even
the casing components are made largely at the new factory in Wetzlar. And production of the Leica M Edition
60 sets considerable demands: The casing parts and the
metal components in the lens are machined from stainless steel. This is far more complex and, of course, a lot
more expensive than machining from aluminum or
brass. “Fortunately, we have a highly qualified team,

Passion –
Stefan Daniel is well aware that the
decision to buy a Leica
is always an emotional issue.

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well able to deal with this kind of task,” says Daniel. It
also goes without saying for a high-end brand like Leica
that the Edition 60 is a limited-edition collectors’ item
that comes at a price. At 15,000 euros including the
lens and a range of accessories, the camera is around
25 percent more expensive than a standard model –
which nevertheless seems fair, given its exclusivity and
the extensive effort involved.
A further joint project was at least as ambitious. This one, however, was about the Leica brand
taking a major step into the future with an additional
product range. A mirrorless system camera was the
plan, with interchangeable lenses and a comparatively
large sensor for high image quality. “We’re in a highly
competitive field here,” says Stefan Daniel. “Naturally,
a new Leica model must have the highest possible
image quality, but differentiation in technical content
alone is not enough. It also calls for factors such as innovative and intuitive operation – as well as a strong
design. We have to be on a completely different level
from our competitors.”
“This is no different for Audi,” comments André
Georgi. “For our cars, too, what matters is the coherent
concept and the systematically high level of quality.
These standards must always be apparent to the customer.” Which, of course, always calls for a clear fundamental idea. In the case of the Leica project, which went
by the code name Typhoon, this was the unibody – a
casing machined entirely from a single block of aluminum and then polished meticulously by hand. “This is
the ultimate in quality,” smiles Georgi. “Everything fits
perfectly and the feeling you get when you hold the
camera in your hand is almost indescribable.”
As a pioneer in lightweight design and aluminum, this material is proverbial home territory for Audi.
“Because we come from the world of cars, we are not
only well versed in the design issues, but we also know
how best to work with the materials – especially aluminum. This is definitely a further strength of Audi De­
sign,” stresses André Georgi. The production team at
Leica likewise has previous experience in working with
this metal, but had to undergo extensive “re-equipment” with new machines and processes.
“Fewer joints, no screws, minimal radii – those
are the basics we implement with every one of our partners,” says André Georgi. Obviously, minimalism and
concentration were also key issues for the Leica T, as the
production model is now called – not only in terms of
design, but also its operation. Only the core functions
have switches; everything else is controlled via the
touch-sensitive display. “A development like this provides us with new experiences that we can also feed
back into our own company,” explains André Georgi.
“The design of clear interfaces is a key factor in the
­automotive business, too.”
The cooperation between the designers in
Munich and the camera specialists in Wetzlar has since
become something of a friendship. And work is already
in full swing on the next top products – with maximum
minimalism, of course.

From one piece –
with the T, Leica occupies the still very new
segment of mirrorless system cameras.
The casing created by Audi Design is machined from
a single block of aluminum.

The red dot –
assembly, too, is a matter of the
highest precision.

Naturally, a new Leica
model must have the highest
possible image quality,
but differentiation in technical
content alone is not
enough. It also calls for factors
such as innovative and
intuitive operation – as well as
a strong design.

Hi-tech for the eye –
Leica has always been renowned for the
quality of its lenses.

Leica Camera AG

Stefan Daniel
Leica M9 Titanium
The foundation for the cooperation with
Leica was laid in 2010 with the
M9 Titanium, now a highly desirable collectors’
edition of the legendary Leica M.
The design was conceived by Walter de Silva,
Head of Group Design for Volkswagen,
and implemented by Audi Design in
Munich. A further cooperation product is the
Leica C compact camera.

Clear logic –
the Leica T has a new operating system with
a touch screen. There are a
minimal number of switches and buttons.

LEICA
Scan the QR code and see a short
video on the Leica T.

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T

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At the start of the last century, cameras
were large, awkward and inoperable
by laypeople. The real breakthrough in the
creation of a practical, inconspicuous
cameras for everyday and journalistic use came
from engineer Oskar Barnack in 1914
with the Leitz camera, known as the Leica.
When the camera finally entered
series production in 1925 it was a huge
success. The Leica M was presented in 1954.
In place of the previous screw thread,
the lens was now attached using a bayonet
fixing, which made changing the lens
a great deal faster. For many years, the Leica M
was the tool of choice for the world’s
leading photo journalists. The digital
era began in 2006 with the Leica M8. Today,
the M is used primarily by ambitious
amateurs and professionals who want to work
particularly inconspicuously.

Riding a motorcycle is pure joy. With a Ducati, that pleasure
becomes passion. But the Italian motorcycle magicians are taking it one
step further still – the Ducati Riding Experience, a driving school with a huge
shot of adrenalin.

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Elite Athlete
899 PANIGALE → 148
aND169 KG

2

hp

1
Text
Guido Stalmann

Photos
Marco Marini

Before he directs the most important instructions of the day to his students at the
morning training session, Dario assumes a serious expression. This
is no easy task for the likeable Italian, who is normally always so up­
beat. To give added emphasis to his warning, Dario even raises an
outstretched index finger, while his eyebrows shift a couple of millimeters closer to his shaved cranium. He pauses for a moment,
casting an eye around the austere meeting room next to the race
track. Around 50 students are sitting here fully kitted out in leathers, gazing at him intently. Then Dario finishes his briefing with a
clear command, “And don’t any of you dare try to impress me!”
Every one of the participants present takes the warning
on board. It is the insistent demand that cannot possibly be overstated at the Ducati Riding Experience race track training program,
known for short as DRE. Those who overestimate themselves at the
edges of the performance envelope easily run the risk of suffering
a deeply unpleasant run-in with the asphalt. At the Riding Ex­per­
ience, safety is priority number one. And anyway, it would be virtually impossible to impress one of these instructors with riding skill.
At the end of the day, these are all former or active racers who are
teaching the art of sporty riding on two wheels at Racing Course 1
on Italy’s Adria Raceway.
Dario Marchetti is Chief Instructor and father of the
Ducati Riding Experience, which commenced training eleven years
ago with a course on the race track in Imola. Prior to that, he was
an active racer for more than two decades – in the World Cham­
pionships for the 125, 250 and 500 cm³ classes, in the Superbike
World Championship and in endurance racing. The ten-man team
of experts that Dario introduces to participants on this particular
morning include Alessandro Valia, former racer and now Chief Test
Rider for Ducati, his fellow Italian countryman Manuel Poggiali,
who won the World Championship in the 125 class in 2001 as an
eighteen year-old, before taking the 250 title two years later, and
Australian Andrew Pitt, who is the 2008 World Champion in the
Supersport category. Only a fool would attempt to impress riders
of this caliber.

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Following the introduction of his instructors and a
30-­minute theory unit, Dario invites the participants down to the
pit lane for a practice session. The lesson at the Ducati School accommodates all ages. Participants in their mid-twenties are sitting
here alongside students who are already heading for 60. The class
had been divided into groups the previous day following an exercise
on the parking lot. Each group consists of five participants, with a
total of ten groups taking part today. Participants with race track
experience – recognizable by the worn knee pads on their leathers
– are grouped separately. This ensures that those riding on a race
track for the first time are not subjected to any peer pressure – a
sensible approach, from an educational standpoint.
However, absolutely all of the participants are on the
same exceptionally high level in one particular point – the passion
for motorcycle riding. Many of them own a Ducati, and several have
more than one motorcycle in their garage. The emotional charisma
of the cult brand from Bologna, combined with a professional training package, has attracted a colorful band of people from all over
the world to the Adria Raceway. Frank, the police officer from Mu­
nich, has combined the DRE course with a short Italian vacation.
Elie, the professional engineer from Israel who has spent several
years producing chocolate in Jerusalem, has flown in especially for
the one-and-a-half-day course. “We don’t have any race tracks in
Is­rael, never mind a training program like this,” he says.

3

4

1 Tips from a world
motorcycling champion – Instructor
Manuel Poggiali with his students.
2 Warm-up training – Racing Course 1 begins
with exercises on a
course marked out with cones.
3 Dry run – the right seating position is
crucial for cornering.
4 Theory always before
practice – Chief Instructor Dario Marchetti
at the morning briefing.

Lesson on the

The

Race track is not for the purpose
of turning you into a racer.
it is about improving riding
and control

technique
Motorcycle.

of the

this also helps in regular traffic.

Dario Marchetti → Chief instructor

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5

6

ABS, traction control and
upshifting

without using
the clutch –
the Ducati
899 Panigale
is the
ideal Motorcycle for
those first
laps on the Race track.

Just like racing →
A spirited riding style
is cultivated at the
Ducati Riding Experience.
For Steven, the businessman from Greece, this is likewise the first time on the race track, as is also the case for Italian
Palmiro, whose medium-sized company manufactures plastic components. “I normally take leisurely trips on my touring bike,” he
explains, “but I really wanted to try out the race track training offered by the Ducati Riding Experi­ence.”
Sergei, an ambitious young Russian, is most certainly
not here for the first time, having stood out the day before on the
parking lot with some incredible inclines. Michael is not quite at
that stage. For the American, who owns a small collection of Ducati
motorcycles, Racing Course 1 is preparation for his own very special
summer program. He plans to take his new Ducati 1199 Panigale
Superleggera – the limited-edition, high-end version of the superbike from Bologna with more than 149 kW (more than 200 hp) – for
an outing befitting its credentials on a number of European race
tracks.

5 Close contact with
the asphalt – instructor and participant
with their knees to the ground.

Alessandro Valia → Chief Test rider for Ducati
and Instructor

6 Expert advice – Ducati Chief Test
Rider Alessandro Valia is one of the
DRE instructors.
7 Color coding – the instructors can be
identified by their red motorcycles.

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The international group of participants prepares itself
in the pit garage for the first practical exercise. They don their back
protectors, close the zipper on their leathers, put on their helmets
and slip on their gloves. Waiting for them in the pit lane are their
extremely fine learning tools – 25 Ducati 899 Panigale, all in white,
five rows of five motorcycles, each group led by the red Ducati of
the respective instructor. The view itself is enough to set a biker’s
heart racing. The 899 is Ducati’s entry-level machine in the superbike segment. It has 109 kW (148 hp) and a dry weight of 169 kg.
The ABS and traction control are electronically adjustable and,
thanks to Ducati Quick Shift Technology, you can upshift as you
would in the MotoGP – under full load, without the clutch. “It’s the
ideal motorcycle for starting on the race track,” says Dario. “It’s
very manageable, has plenty of power and electronic assistance
systems like traction control and ABS.” The first participants now
have the chance to try it out for themselves.
The lesson plan for the day is for five groups to be on the
track for 20 minutes at a time, while the other five groups receive
a theoretical lesson in the pit garage with their instructor. What is
the right way to sit on a motorcycle for sporty riding? How do you
place your boot on the footrest without it touching the asphalt
when leaning into a corner, which can result in a fall? How do you
brake the motorcycle safely at high speed and how do you downshift at the same time? And, when leaning really far into a bend,
how do you position yourself next to the machine? While the sports
lesson may be fun, it is not at the expense of the DRE’s educational
approach. Anybody who learns how to handle a motorcycle at its
performance limits on a race track benefits when it comes to riding
at a normal speed on the open road.

What has been learnt can then immediately be applied
in the next practice session. The group follows in a line behind the
in­structor, who sets the pace based on his feeling for the capabilities of his students. Absolutely no overtaking is permitted during
the practical sessions. Private duels at an extreme angle would be
risky and, let’s face it – like any normal school situation – attentionseeking show-offs are not good for class morale. And anyway, DRE
cultivates a pretty impressive turn of speed as it is. Nevertheless,
not even the instructors would reach the top speed of 275 km/h
achievable by the 899 on the 2.7-kilometer race track on the outskirts of Venice. The home straight is simply too short.
The top speed with the 899 on the Adria Raceway is just
under the 200 km/h mark – a figure still worthy of considerable
respect. Those who manage to brake the motorcycle hard at the
end of the straights without the rear wheel starting to twitch nervously, while downshifting from sixth to second gear with clean
double-declutching, steer the 899 into the left-hand bend and shift
their upper body alongside the motorcycle with an outstretched
arm so that the man/machine unit drops in a controlled manner
towards the apex, succeed in touching their kneepads onto the asphalt just like the professionals. This ultimate proof of a respectable lean angle gives the race track novices an enormous surge of
pleasure and achievement.
And those who, by the end of the lesson, finally manage
on a regular basis to bring their knee into contact with the track
during high-speed cornering are issued with a graduation certificate from the Ducati Riding Experience entitling them to take part
in Racing Course 2. It is held on the famous race track in Mugello,
Italy, which is also a venue for the MotoGP. Participants in this
course ride the 899’s bigger sibling, the 1199 Panigale R with 195
hp (143 kW). On Mugello’s one-kilometer home straight, it is possible to approach the 300 km/h mark with the 1199. Perhaps there,
Dario’s words of warning at the start of the lesson should be a little
firmer.

899

panigale

899 Panigale
Technical Data
Engine
Layout

V2-cylinder with four valves
per cylinder and
desmodromic valve control

Gran Turismo – sensual forms,
extreme power, luxurious equipment,
but also zero-emissions driving
in town; the Asterion concept car is a
Lamborghini with a whole new
character.

Emotions Not Emissions

Lamborghini is testing the future with
the Asterion concept car. The plug-in hybrid delivers breath­taking performance, runs quietly and with zero-emissions
through town and displays a new design language – inspired
by a very different Lamborghini driving feel.

Scan the QR code and experience the technical concept
of the Lamborghini Asterion in an animation.

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Filippo Perini is still deeply impressed by his first drive with the
plug-in hybrid technology showcase. The forceful pressure with
which the three electric motors accelerated the prototype right from the factory gates,
the smooth, elegant cruising from Sant’Agata Bolognese to neighboring San Giovanni in
Persiceto and then, after turning onto the A14 highway, the sheer force from the perfect
interaction of the ten-cylinder engine and electric drive.
669 kilowatts of system output. The figure sounds even more impressive as
horsepower – 910! But it’s not just the propulsion, the kick in the back, the pure acceleration that is unforgettable for Filippo Perini. The head of the Centro Stile is very familiar
with that from the products of his own brand. It is far more the amazing effortlessness
with which the first hybrid drive to bear the sign of the bull celebrates this explosion of
performance. And it’s the continual shift between the rich, emotional tone of the V10 and
the silent potency of the electric drive – which can be selected using a button on the steering wheel or by the power called on through the gas pedal. “For me, this is a completely
new Lamborghini driving feel,” says Perini. “I have experienced a refined, incredibly powerful Gran Turismo; a car to enjoy more on long journeys than on the race track. It was
immediately clear to me that you would also have to be able to sense that from the design.”
As a consequence, the Asterion became a somewhat different Lamborghini –
not as extreme in its design language, in its package, its seating feel and certainly not as
aggressive in its appearance as the likes of the Aventador. But yet, it has an aura of absolute
superiority, with utterly refined power in every situation. It also comes with a healthy portion of that classic elegance that has always characterized large Italian Gran Turismos.
“We want to show that this side is part of Lamborghini, too,” says the design boss. “After
all, the very first Lamborghini was a large, elegant GT.”
That is why, for Perini, the Asterion carries just as much Lamborghini DNA as,
for example, the Aventador – it’s just derived from a different line. The Aventador or the
Huracán carry forward the “hard” design language of a Countach, while the Asterion is
clearly descended from the “soft” Miura. “The Asterion possesses the sensuality of the
Miura. It has similar proportions, the same muscular wheel arches and powerful shoulders.” Naturally, the iconic elements of the current Lamborghini design language are in
no way absent – such as the Y in the lights and the hexagons repeated in the grille, air vents
and exhaust pipes.
Perini also sees the interior of the Asterion as a new interpretation of luxury.
In the first instance, luxury here means more interior space. Where the low-lying front
windshield on the Huracán and Aventador ends right in front of the driver’s forehead, the
Asterion offers more height and more distance, not to mention a more upright seating
position and – thanks to narrower sills – the climb in and out is much easier. Of course, the
interior still has a minimalist design: A screen takes the place of all the instruments, with
operation handled largely via the steering wheel. The luxury feel comes from the perfect
use of leather, titanium, magnesium and carbon fiber – everything finished with great
technical functionality, yet wonderful finesse.

1

Forza – the powerful rear end leaves you
in no doubt; there is a classic
ten-cylinder at work here.

Scan the QR code and see the statement on
the Asterion by Filippo Perini.

Stilista – Filippo Perini, Head of the Centro Stile at Automobili
Lamborghini.
1

I have experienced a refined, incredibly powerful gran
turismo; a car to enjoy more on long journeys than on the
race track. It was immediately clear to me that you
would also have to be able to sense that from the design.

Filippo Perini
2

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3

The Name
For the Asterion, too, Lamborghini stands by its tradition of
naming its vehicles from the world of the bull – with particular
finesse in this case. Asterion is the name of the mythical Minotaur –
a hybrid figure – half man, half bull. This puts the Asterion at a
crossroads on a symbolic level, too, standing for the powerful union
of intellect and instinct.

Tradizione – the Asterion clearly
has Lamborghini DNA. Its roots reach
back to the Miura.

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Carbon-fiber reinforced polymer is the feature material in the Asterion. A
hybrid drive means weight, which is why the car’s structure has to be particularly light.
Lambor­ghini uses a CFRP monocoque featuring the same technology used in the
Aventador. Like the super sports car, the concept car has a mid-engine, albeit with a very
different layout. In the series-production models, the transmission is mounted in the wide
middle tunnel in front of the engine, almost between the seats. In the Asterion, on the
other hand, the transmission is located at the rear, behind the V10 engine from the
Huracán. This leaves plenty space in the middle tunnel for the lithium-ion energy storage
used by the hybrid drive. The battery is supplied with energy from a motor-generator unit
integrated between the engine and transmission and, in recuperation phases, from the
electric motors on the front axle.
While some concept cars gleaming in the spotlight of an auto show are actually no more than empty shells, the Asterion has a full technology package and is completely functional. “We have been working on the concept for two years, have gained a
great deal of experience with the prototype and have now implemented the whole thing
systematically and realistically,” says Maurizio Reggiani, Lamborghini’s chief engineer.
What has been created here is a supreme cruiser. Although supreme might
actually sound like an understatement, given the enormous power and an acceleration
time of just three seconds. Supremacy has a different definition here, too – through a CO₂
figure of just 98 grams per kilometer. In accordance with current standards, this is based
on an electric-only range of 50 kilometers. In electric mode, the Asterion is driven by two
electric motors on the front axle up to a maximum speed of 125 km/h and, even here,
possesses a level of dynamic performance that clearly inspires design boss Perini.
In hybrid mode, the Asterion runs constantly with all-wheel drive. The rear
wheels are coupled to the V10 in the classic manner; the motors at the front axle are supplied with energy from the battery or generator, depending on the charge status. The front
motors can be controlled individually. This so-called torque vectoring means that the
power sent to the wheels is adapted perfectly to the respective performance requirements.
Ultimate propulsion is provided by boost mode, when the generator becomes a motor,
too, supplied by power from the battery. The three motors now have a total output of 300
hp, in addition to the maximum of 610 hp from the V10. Besides incredibly powerful
sprints, this enables a top speed of 325 km/h.
“Our drive delivers the full emotionality of a Lamborghini,” says chief engineer
Reggiani with conviction. “At the same time, we are prepared for the future with zero
emissions in-town.” Sounds perfect. So when can we expect to see it in production? “The
Asterion is only a technological demonstrator and there is no plan to continue with further
development of this car.” And what about a hybrid drive for the classic Aventador super
sports car? Reggiani takes a clear position on this one. “That’s definitely a matter of
weight. If we wanted to compensate for the more than 200 kilograms of the hybrid components, we would have to use highly sophisticated and very expensive solutions. And that
drives the price for a car like that to extreme heights.” Something verified by the almost
seven-digit price tags on the very few competitors in this segment.
But Reggiani is certain that Lamborghini and hybrid drives are a fit for one
another. If the high-performance SUV Urus comes to market, it will potentially be the first
Lamborghini PHEV.

8

9

7

Motore – the ten-cylinder comes
from the Huracán.

8

Tecnologia – the concept car features
a CFRP monocoque and is packed
with innovative technology.

9

Ingegnere – Maurizio Reggiani,
Head of Research and Development
at Automobili Lamborghini.

10

5

Elettrico – electric motors and
electronics fill the entire front end of
the concept car.

6

Energia – as a plug-in hybrid, the
Asterion fills up via a charging cable.

Carrozzeria – parts of the exterior
skin are the last to be added.

7
10

1

5

2
1

Our drive delivers the full emotionality of a Lamborghini.
At the same time, we are prepared for the future
with zero emissions in-town.

Maurizio Reggiani

2
6
Scan the QR code and see the statement on
the Asterion by Maurizio Reggiani.

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Text
Hermann Reil

the fantastic

Photos
Matt Howell
Stefan Warter

four
Motorsport is part of Audi DNA
Competition is what drives us. For more than 100 years, Audi has been asserting itself with major
success on the race tracks of the world – be it in the contests of the pioneering era,
the Grand Prix races of the 30s, the rally tracks of the 80s or the legendary Le Mans circuit.
Just four examples from a victorious century.

Where the boss himself won
Motorsport was tough in the early years. The Alpine run organized by the k.u.k. Österreichischer
Automobil-Club (Austrian Automobile Club) was over six days and covered an
almost 3,000-kilometer arc from Vienna, across the Alpine passes to the Adriatic and back.
It was referred to at the time as “the world’s greatest automobile sporting event”.
In the years before the First World War, the steep, still unsurfaced Alpine passes were a huge
adventure for both man and machine.

2
6

ALPEN

SIEGER
1

5

For August Horch, these harsh tours were the best way to prove the quality of his automobiles.
He founded the Audi brand in 1909 and, from 1912 to 1914, the Type C was triumphant
three times in succession. After that, the Type C, driven by a 3.6-liter four-cylinder, proudly bore the
addendum “Alpensieger” (Alpine victor). It was the most successful model of the early
Audi era, with unit sales of more than 1,100.

4

3

Horch at the wheel –
the Audi founder was a big motorsport fan – and active driver.

No fear of heights –
even in the 21st century, the Audi Alpensieger
is not afraid of mountain passes.

Thunder clap –
the sixteen-cylinder has an elaborate
starting procedure.

world

record
Auto Union Type A
1934

It started with the record
It was nothing less than a revolution. The new race car bearing the four rings was utterly different
from anything else ever seen in motorsport. Professor Ferdinand Porsche, one of the
greatest automotive geniuses of the first century of the automobile, had created a hi-tech, mid-engine car
for the Auto Union – it had better weight distribution, more traction, a fuel tank in the middle –
the idea was inspiring, but not entirely straightforward to implement.

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But the race track provided immediate proof – at its very first outing on March 6, 1934 on
the AVUS in Berlin, Hans Stuck drove an impressive world record. The sixteen-cylinder engine with a Roots
supercharger in the Type A started off with a displacement of just 4.5 liters and 295 hp.
The revised Type B followed in 1935 with five liters of displacement and 375 hp. Porsche’s design blossomed
fully in 1936: The V16 grew into a six-liter unit, with the output climbing to more than 500 hp.
The era of unique, fascinating, high-performance machines ended in 1939 with the twelve-cylinder,
twin-supercharged Type D. And what began as a revolution – the mid-engine layout –
had become standard by the late 50s.

A force of nature on the rally track
Audi revolutionized rallying; quattro broke like a force of nature onto what was back then a rather
low-key scene. In 1982, only its second year of competition, quattro secured the
brand championship for Audi. By 1984, there was no longer anybody who doubted the superiority
of permanent all-wheel drive. Quite the opposite, in fact – the competition upped their
game and the battle on gravel and asphalt became every tougher.

Good speed –
even at the age of 68, Stig Blomqvist
is still impressively fast.

Then came October 4, the final day of the Ivory Coast Rally. Audi works driver Stig Blomqvist
made the “big point”, winning in the Audi Sport quattro with a lead of 22 minutes. Thanks to previous
victories in Sweden, Greece, New Zealand and Argentina, his championship total stood
at 125 points – unassailable. On the same day, Audi leapt over the bar in the brand championship, too –
unassailable. For Blomqvist, winning the driver title in the World Rally Championship
was the highlight of a great career. The Audi team was able to celebrate not only the second brand
championship title after 1982, but also the first championship race win for
the newly developed Audi Sport quattro.

Greek dust –
Stig Blomqvist on his way to victory
at the Acropolis Rally in 1984.

Motorsport Holy Ground
The 13.629 kilometers in the heart of France are motorsport holy ground.
24 hours at the absolute limit. Speed counts, but reliability and strategy are almost more important.
Audi has been a serial winner since 2000. The trophy had already gone no fewer than
12 times to the team with the four rings.

9

1
2
10

The battle in 2014, however, was a very tough one. The changed hybrid regulations and the
entry of Porsche as a new competitor set the bar very high. The competition was also extremely fast.
What mattered once again in the end though were consistency, reliability and caution.
Audi Sport Team Joest came through against the toughest of competition from Toyota and the returning
Porsche team in a race that was, for a long time, completely open. It wasn’t until the final
phase that the pendulum swung toward the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro in places one and two.
It was the 13th Le Mans success for the brand with the four rings out of 16 starts –
and perhaps the most precious so far.

Hard work rewarded –
the interaction of technology, driver
and pit team secured
a double victory for Audi at Le Mans
in 2014.